Aftermath
by yoosij
Summary: What happens after Harry defeats Voldemort, because his story doesn't end just there. What happens after you fulfill your calling? This story mainly includes Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione.
1. Too Many Emotions

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or their world... JK Rowling does!**

Ginny was absolutely exhausted, both emotionally and physically. She sat next to her mother feeling completely numb. For some reason she decided to look up and towards the entrance of the Great Hall, only to see the retreating backsides of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She had not gotten to really properly talk to any of them. Yes, there was a brief moment in the immediate celebration after Voldemort's death where Hermione and Ginny looked at each other with tear-filled eyes before giving each other a big hug. If she remembered right, they even laughed a little. She had practically tackled Ron when she jumped up to hug him. The reality that she hadn't seen him in almost a year hit full force and she promptly poked him in the side and said, "Missed you, you big git." There was the briefest of moment where Harry wasn't being tugged on by someone else. She just looked at him, at first. He looked as if he was unsure of what to do, what he could do.

She was having a mixture of emotions. On one hand she had never felt so relieved to see him alive and standing in front of her. It made her want to hug him and kiss him just to make sure she wasn't in the middle of a dream. But at the same time she wasn't ready to forgive him. She was willing to stand aside and allow him to break up with her if it eased his worries. He didn't need to be distracted. But he never once tried to give her even the briefest of contact. Even Sirius would communicate with Harry when he was hiding. She didn't expect anything regular, but the three of them could have done something. Then he just expected her to wait in the Room of Requirement. It made her mad that he thought she couldn't take care of herself. Then he just went off to die without saying goodbye. Surely if he truly cared for her he would have said goodbye. She hoped he had just not been anywhere near her and didn't have time. Finally, seeing him reminded her of just minutes ago when she saw him lifeless, which reminded her of those who had died tonight. She felt overwhelmingly hurt. He appeared worse for wear and didn't look as if he expected anything from her.

In the split seconds that all of these feelings rushed through her, she did the most she would allow herself to do. She walked up to him and gave him a hug. One arm snuck up his back and lightly grasped a fistful of his shirt while her other hand rested on the back of his head. She rested her head against his chest for just a moment, and she felt him release a deep breath as he leaned his head against hers. She relished in the embrace and comfort for just a moment before lifting her head up to get another good look at him. He looked straight back at her and the intensity of her eyes almost made her cave and kiss him.

"Gin, I… I just need to say that I…" he said in a voice almost too low for her to hear it.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw people walking up, looking as if they intended to congratulate Harry. She pulled away, looking down and shaking her head. She looked back at him and said, "Don't. Not now," before walking off.

She tried to keep any tears at bay. She just wasn't ready to hear anything Harry had to say, whether it was that he still cared for her… or that he didn't think they could go back to what they had. So instead of letting him finish she let others congratulate him. He was theirs right now, and not hers. She walked up to Luna who looked just as in a daze as usual, even after a battle, and gave her a hug with a bit of a chuckle. Her cheer was coming back as she saw friends that the war had removed from her for a while. When Dean walked up she couldn't help but give him a big hug as well. She rested a hand on both of his shoulders as she talked animatedly to him. After all, Bill told her bits of what had transpired the night at the Malfoys.

She managed to smirk when she walked up to Neville. "Well, I'm glad I get to congratulate one of our great heroes tonight. How does it feel?" she said. Neville blushed but she could tell he liked finally getting some attention for his part in the war. She was so proud of his bravery. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before she felt arms wrap around her waist and suddenly she was lifted from the ground.

There were very few people that would do that, and they were all redheads that she was able to spot as she was spun. "Ritchie!" she yelled, and she actually laughed. She had started to get to know him when he became a beater on Gryffindor's team last year, and they became better friends over the course of the year as many of the Gryffindors found themselves getting in trouble for being brave enough (and sometimes just reckless enough) to stand up against the Carrows. He was also in her year, and she found that she had grown closer to many in her year now that she didn't have a boyfriend to devote time to.

Ritchie put her down when a flash of worry crossed Neville's face. "Watch out. Ginny has a few guys that won't like you spinning her around like that," Neville said.

Ginny gave a death-glare to Ritchie and then turned to Neville. "I think I can take Harry and my brothers. And me and Ritchie?" She scrunched up her face as if she smelled something bad. "Besides," she said, glancing over and catching Harry staring at her, "It's not as if I have a boyfriend."

The two boys exchanged looks and Neville said, "Ginny, you know he-"

Ginny shook her head and said, "Hey, it's not really important." She looked over to see her mother with George, and a sharp pain went through Ginny. She gave Neville a hug and said, "I need to see my mum." When she pulled away she smirked and said, "You've gotta tell me what your Gram says about tonight." Neville blushed again and Ginny gave a small wave to Ritchie before walking to her mum. She almost thought she would suffocate when her mother hugged her, smiling and crying as she wrapped her arms around Ginny.

She was not sure how long she stayed with her family. She was with them as she saw the little trio exit, though. She understood Harry's connection with the two of them. She imagined she would have a similar connection to Neville and Luna after the past few years… especially this last one. However she couldn't help but be a little hurt that at the first chance to get away, he was off with Ron and Hermione. She rested her head on her mother's shoulder and sighed. She was tired of coming in second place. She was also tired of wanting him for years and not knowing his thoughts on the matter. She was tired of being in a room full of people when she would love nothing more than going home and sleeping in her own bed. She looked over to see as the death of Fred was now being realized by her family and she felt her heart constrict more. She couldn't take it anymore. After promising her mother that she would be ok, and George serving as a distraction by the absolutely numb and blank look on his face, Ginny made her getaway.

She wasn't sure where she was going. She just walked and walked until her feet led her outside. She barely registered the blood, the debris, and one or twice the possible dead bodies she walked past as her feet led her to the lake. Of course she would end up there. She plopped on the ground and stared out at the black lake. Morning was already coming when the celebration began, and she watched as the hues of pinks, purples, and oranges reflect off the lake.

She began to reflect on the night and felt as if she might explode. She was relieved that so many of her friends had survived. She was extremely relieved that Harry was alive. She was hurt that he had not decided to share really any of his post-battle private time with her. It made her think that she should just be done with him. She had been a little worried that he would forget about her while he was out doing whatever it was he was doing. That was another thing that angered her a little… he didn't even tell her a smidge of what the three of them had been up to. She was angry that he had wanted her to stay in the Room of Requirement, that he hadn't said goodbye before he went off to die, that he had gone all noble again and sacrificed himself. Even if he hadn't died, he went off somewhere alone and Voldemort sure as hell thought he had offed Harry. She was mad at herself that he had this hold over her that she had almost succumbed to after a simple hug. She was mad that she was thinking about all of this when so many had died, including Fred. She was mad that there were six and not seven Weasley children. She was mad that none of her family, especially George, would probably ever be the same again.

She was also completely exhausted. She pulled her knees up to her chest and finally allowed herself to just cry. She had tried so hard to stay strong so that she wouldn't seem vulnerable and she could be strong for her family. She couldn't hold back anymore. Between her yo-yoing feelings of love for Harry and then hate for Harry and anger at herself and grief over her brother…. It was just too overwhelming.

She didn't know how long she was sitting on the ground before she heard someone approach her. Out of reflex and habit she quickly spun around, her wand outstretched, and said, "Stupe-"

"Whoah, whoah," Harry said, his hands up in surrender. "It's just me."

Ginny looked at him for a moment, lowered her wand. "Oh, all right" was all she said.


	2. Unreadable

The moments after Voldemort fell were a blur. All he remembered was more and more people grabbing at him and hugging him. He was so relieved to see so many people he was closed to were still safe and alive.

He had just escaped a suffocating hug from Mrs. Weasley when he saw her. Ginny stood in front of him with her hair wild around her, parts of her clothes torn a bit, what looked like a pretty good gash on one arm and dirt and bruises along her jaw line. He was torn between kissing her in front of the entire Great Hall and finding out exactly who all of the people she fought that night and sending multiple hexes their way for hurting her.

There was something different about her, though. He hadn't gotten a good enough look at her earlier to tell if it was just a year of not seeing her face, or if it was something to do with the final battle. The little spark in her eye that he loved wasn't there. She looked older and exhausted. She looked numb. But through all of that he still thought she looked completely beautiful. He was just about to say something, although he had no idea what he could possibly say, when she embraced him.

It was a different hug from any of the others that night. It wasn't out of celebration or relief, it was full of a comfort. He let his guard down enough to wrap his arms around her and rest his chin on her head. He began tilting his head down so that he could kiss her on the top of the head when she pulled away.

He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. He was rememorizing those chocolate brown eyes with bits of gold when he knew he had to say something. He had to tell her. He had to tell her he loved her and that he thought about her everyday. How it crushed him to think that in leaving her behind, he could be losing her forever. How he had hated that he might miss out on so much with her. How he watched her dot on the Marauder's map and that it killed him not to know how she was. How he thought of her right before he died.

"Gin, I … I just needed to say that I…" but as he tried to formulate the best way to tell her everything he needed to tell her in a room full of celebrating people, she pulled away.

"Don't," she said. His heart fell. Was she hugging him because she cared about his welfare… but was she done with her romantic feelings for him? After all, she hadn't kissed him. A year is a long time to wait, especially when she hadn't been single for more than a few weeks since she was thirteen.

His quick thoughts were interrupted by her saying "Not now." That gave him a little hope that she would be willing to talk later. He smiled and opened his mouth to at least simply say that he still cared when she walked away. He watched after her, confused. It couldn't last long though because Professor Sprout was now trying to talk to him. He smiled and talked with her, but continued to keep an eye on Ginny. He watched as Ginny chuckled with Luna. He hadn't even gotten a smile. He longed to see her smile. His heart nearly broke and he lost what little attention he was giving Professor Sprout when he saw her smile… at Dean. He thought he even saw the spark in her eye. She hugged him, her hands were on his shoulders. There's no way they could have rekindled anything… but how would he know? Harry nodded and gave short answers to Sprout as he watched Ginny now hugging and talking with Neville. He had to look away and back at Professor Sprout when she hugged Neville and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Harry would have given anything to see her smile or laugh because of him, to give him a kiss on the cheek. The final straw was seeing Ritchie hug her and then spin her around. He didn't even know they were friends! Sure, he became beater in Harry's sixth year and without Harry on the team Ginny was bound to make more Quidditch friends but he definitely did not like the length of that hug. He quickly brought his attention to Professor Sprout when Ginny looked over at him and he kept himself from glancing over at her again.

Exhaustion began to hit him more and he was relieved when Ron and Hermione found him. As they left the Great Hall he scanned the room. He saw Neville and Luna talking with McGonagall. The Weasleys seemed to all be sitting at table together. Ginny was resting her head on her mother's shoulder. He decided that they would talk, but it would be later. They had plenty of time later. He had to finish what they all started and return the Elder Wand.

Later, he felt a bit of weight lifted from his shoulders when the three of them left the headmaster's office. He stood outside of the office with them as they all began to take in that it really was over. Finally, Harry spoke.


	3. An Unexpected Find

"Well, I better return this," Harry said, looking down at the elder wand and rubbing the back of his neck. "And I'm dead tired, I think I'll try and get some sleep in the dormitories."

"Harry," Hermione said in a not _quite_ scolding tone, "You really shouldn't say you're dead anything for a while."

Harry smiled. "Fair enough."

Hermione smiled softly and glanced a few times at Ron expectantly. "I think… I might take a walk around and inspect some of the damage. It's been so long since we've been here."

Ron didn't take the hint. Instead he softly chuckled and said, "Going to run off to the library? I'm sure it's fine. I'm knackered. I think I might go take a kip myself."

Harry wanted to smack the back of Ron's head. He really was going to have to learn to pick up subtleties and from the look on Hermione's face, she thought that as well.

"Uh…" Harry started looking between them. "Ron, maybe you should go with Hermione. There… might be some rogue Death Eaters still around. Better two than one, right?"

Ron looked at Harry befuddled for a minute before looking down and seeing that Hermione was still looking at him expectantly. "Right. Right, we don't know what's lurking. I'll just go with Hermione, first. See you, Harry."

And with that he put a hand on one of Hermione's shoulders and turned the both of them around. Hermione glanced at Harry quickly and mouthed "Thank you," to which Harry merely nodded with a bit of a knowing smile.

Harry wasn't quite sure how long he was at Dumbledore's tomb. He returned the wand, and then proceeded to expel some of his worries on to the tomb of his old headmaster. A glint of what almost looked like fire caught his eyes, and he turned to see the sun almost completely risen over the lake and Ginny Weasley sitting in what used to be their spot. The way the bright orange sun was reflecting light off her hair was absolutely amazing. He always loved her hair, but watching her sitting by the lake and seeing her hair so vibrant he had thought it was fire made him take a second to just watch her. He finally decided to walk over to her, and as he drew closer he realized she was crying.

He hadn't seen her really cry since the Chamber of Secrets. Maybe lightly when her father almost died and at Dumbledore's funeral, but her eyes had been completely dry when she had broken her leg and couldn't do much of anything in the Department of Mysteries and when Harry had broken up with her. Suddenly a pang hit his heart. He had no idea what to say to her, what her reaction might be. He figured she would either embrace him or hex him. When she quickly turned with a tear-stained face and her wand raised he threw up his hands, now knowing it would be the latter.

"Whoah, whoah. It's just me," he said, preparing himself to be stupefied.

He watched as she surveyed him. He wasn't sure if he had heard her right when she just lowered her wand and said, "Oh, all right then." A happy Ginny he could deal with. He could more or less deal with an angry Ginny. He wasn't quite sure how to deal with an indifferent and crying Ginny.

"Um," he said a bit awkwardly. "Can I sit here?"


	4. Confessions

Ginny shrugged and Harry took a breath and sat down. The fear of her moving on was multiplying now. He suddenly felt stupid for basically assuming a 16 year old girl would wait for her boyfriend that she only dated for a month and who never gave her a sign or three words that might clue her in that she wasn't just waiting on an off-chance.

He sat in silence and took a few looks at her still lightly crying. "It'll get better," he finally said. "I know it doesn't seem that way. And… you won't ever forget, but it doesn't stay this hard."

Ginny looked at him and gave a small smile. Harry's heart leaped. She looked back to the lake and said, "I just feel as if I might explode. I'm mad at you. I'm mad that you just left without word after. That I know I looked absolutely smashing at Bill and Fleur's wedding and even though you were in disguise and could dance with me you just sat and talked to Aunt Muriel. I'm mad that the three of you didn't even think to write or communicate in any way after a while. Even Sirius communicated somewhat when he was on the run. I had to read the paper and hope it didn't say the three of you were dead to know that you were even alive. I'm mad that you just, once again, expected me to stay in the background and be some bloody damsel in distress. I'm mad at myself for caring so much when you obviously do not because you walked off to your death and then the first thing you did when you could be free of people was go off with Ron and Hermione."

Harry tried to butt in a few times, but she was definitely on a roll. He finally gave up and resolved to wait for her to pause, which was harder to do when she began crying more. "And I'm mad that I'm sitting here in this particular spot of all spots crying. And I'm mad I was thinking of that when I should be thinking more of Fred. And then I'm mad that he's gone when he nowhere close to deserved it. I'm mad there's not seven of us. I'm mad that Teddy has to grow up without parents. I'm mad that Colin is one of the most innocent people I know and he had to die, too. I'm just so angry and tired and I don't even know what to do with myself."

Harry waited to make sure this was an actual pause before gently trying to wipe at some of her tears. He remembered Hermione explaining how Cho must have felt kissing Harry, and Ron saying that no one could possibly feel all of that at one time without exploding and he suddenly agreed with Ron. She looked at him confused, and he finally said, "I.. I didn't just walk off to my death. I saw you, I stopped. I just couldn't… I had to keep going."

She turned fully at him and looked as if she was going to hex him until the next week. "You were there in the corridor weren't you?! You were there when I was with June! I… I can't believe you. And you didn't stop? You bloody-"

Before her anger could flare more he decided he would actually interrupt. "Ginny, I couldn't. I couldn't stop. I stopped and almost couldn't go through with it as it was and if I stopped and said goodbye to you, I don't know if I would have been able to go. And I had to. I was the last Horcrux so I had to let him…" and then he remembered that he never told her what a Horcrux was, "Ah, shite. I, uh, had a piece of Voldemort's soul in me and it had to be destroyed so that he could die. So I had to go and let him kill me. I had to… I had to die."

Ginny turned back to looking at the lake. She was silent, her color going back to normal, and a few silent tears ran down her cheeks. Even though she looked broken, it gave Harry relief. She still cared. It made sense now. She could easily hug Dean and kiss Neville because they hadn't hurt her and they hadn't died and come back to life. She gave him a simple comforting embrace because she had too many conflicting feelings.

He tried very hard to work up his nerve. He thought that maybe they could talk about the battle first, about the deaths, about anything but their relationship first. But, that wouldn't really work. So, he looked over at her and said, "I couldn't stop because… I care too much for you. If I stopped and said goodbye I wouldn't have been able to go and lose you."

Ginny looked over and studied him. It looked to Harry that she was trying to discern if he really cared that much. "You almost did. You lost me for a year. You could have died, I could have died, completely miserable at that. Anything could have happened…"

"I know," Harry interjected. "And I hated that. I thought about you all the time, Gin. I… well this actually sounds a bit obsessive but… I would watch your dot on the map at night. It made me sick to think of dying or you moving on, you marrying some other bloke and…" He suddenly flinched. He didn't mean to divulge that last part, "I missed you, too."

Ginny stared at him again and Harry could have sworn a bit of the spark returned to her eyes. "Who said I missed you?" she said with a completely straight face. Harry smirked and wrapped an arm around her. She rested her head in the pocket under his shoulder and began calming down. "So… did you really die, then?"

Harry hadn't been ready for that part of the conversation either. He paused and said, "Well, yes and no. He, uh, hit me with Avada Kedavra. I knew it was coming, I didn't arm myself. There wasn't exactly a point. And then I went to this… in between place. I saw Dumbledore and he explained it all. I got to choose. It was so… peaceful… and everyone was there but" he shifted uncomfortably "but I knew I had to come back. There's too much I wanted to do. Too um, many people I didn't want to leave."

He heard Ginny sniff. "I thought my heart stopped when I saw you with Hagrid. It was… too much."

Harry winced and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. He took a minute to debate on telling her what he should tell her next. "Before he… before I died. I thought of you, Gin."

He heard a choked sob and then Ginny pulling away. Harry watched confused as she stood up and straightened her clothes. "I'm sorry," she said, wiping at her face, "I just… I can't do this right now. It's too much."


	5. Not So Fast

Ginny had to get up and get away. It was too overwhelming. She was starting to feel a little stupid for doubting Harry, but at the same time bringing up his death opened a fresh wound. She began feeling overwhelmed when he made the comment of not wanting her to marry some other bloke. But when he said that he had to come back from death, that he thought of her when he died, she felt completely and utterly overwhelmed. She needed to calm down and take a deep breath and process the past few hours and she couldn't do that when her ex-boyfriend was telling her that he thought of her before he died.

"I'm sorry," she said, wiping at her face, "I just… I can't do this right now. It's too much."

She just needed to get home, to her bed. She needed rest, that's what she needed. She needed Harry too but she didn't know if she could handle all of it at the same time. "Ginny, wait," he said and as her back turned she heard him scramble up. She couldn't stay but she couldn't bring herself to leave him after he had finally opened up as much as he had around this time last year. She turned toward him and he looked as if he had no idea what he was going to do now that she wasn't leaving.

"I'm sorry, I know it's a lot. It's just… it was hard enough being at Dumbledore's funeral and I wouldn't have been able to keep going if you died because of me, if you died period. And that's why I didn't write you, because I couldn't take the chance. And that's why I didn't say goodbye, because I wouldn't be able to say goodbye to you. That's why I thought of you, why it was ok if I died, why I came back when I had the chance. I know it's a lot but-"

He was stopped by Ginny's lips on his own. She had to stop him somehow. Her fingers of one hand slipped into the hair on the back of his head while the other hand fisted his shirt. She felt his arms snake around her waist, and as he deepened the kiss she knew she might melt. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. They always seemed so intense that she couldn't help but stare.

"Harry, you're just going to have to give me some time. I can't even think straight right now," she said, bringing her hands to her forehead. "I need sleep, and you look like you definitely need sleep. I don't think tonight has fully soaked in yet and…" she dropped her hands and looked back up at him, "I just… I believe you, but how do I know you're not going to just leave again?"

"Erm… well… Voldemort's gone so I shouldn't have to-" Harry started before he was promptly interrupted.

"No, I'm not talking about the war. Just… in general. How do I know you're not going to leave or want to break up for some reason because you think it's best for me? You're not going to just stop fighting evil now. It's… it's part of who you are. You still want to be an Auror, right."

Harry shuffled his feet and said, "Well, you don't know, I guess. I promise I won't. I don't think I could again. I… I don't want to not be with you ever again."

The weight of that admission rested on both of them, and there was a silence before Ginny finally said, "Well, good. Me neither. But you just have to remember that there's TWO people in this relationship, Harry. You can't just decide things like that because you think it's best for me. We both have a say, all right?"

Harry smirked as she crossed her arms as she talked. He nodded. "I'll remember that."

She raised an eyebrow at his smirk. "Then I guess we could talk about you having a trial period then… tomorrow. Let's just… take it slow. Ok?"

Harry nodded and said, "Ok. I'll take it."

She stuck out her hand, smiled, and added, "Now come on. You look like shite. When was the last time you slept?"

Harry took her hand and chuckled. As they walked back to Gryffindor tower he told her about the past few days, he asked her about stealing the fake Gryffindor sword, and he tried to explain a little about what Horcruxes were.


	6. Resolution

Ron and Hermione walked in silence at first. Hermione didn't know what to say, really. Should they talk about the kiss? Was it too soon? Would it seem insensitive after he just lost his brother? She wondered if it was one of those heat of the moment things. Of course, it seemed like a little more than that. He had responded to her kissing him by lifting her up, and she had felt the kiss all the way down to her knees.

His arm was still around her shoulder, though, so she took that as a good sign. However, seeing debris and once or twice a dead body certainly didn't help put the walk into a romantic setting. There had just been so much death. Professor Lupin, Tonks, Colin, Fred and for a moment there, Harry… Hermione sniffed and leaned into Ron as they walked.

"Erm, Hermione? Are you all right?" Ron asked as he tried to look down and see her face.

She stopped and quickly wiped at her face before looking at him. "Sorry, I should be the one asking you that," she said before looking down again.

Ron's voice seemed to soften as he said, "It happened to you, too. Besides, emotional range of a teaspoon, remember?"

She managed to chuckle at that, marveling at how he could make her laugh in almost any situation, and she looked up at him again to say, "You remember that?"

He shrugged with a smile and they began walking again. "Yeah, I remember everything you say. Well, except for the boring stuff sometimes… and stuff about class… and definitely most of anything having to do with History of Magic or _Hogwarts, A History_. But, you know, the important stuff."

"You are absolutely incorrigible, Ronald Weasley," she said, shaking her head. There was another moment of silence before she said, "So, are you all right? I mean, with…" but she couldn't even say it. 'Fred's death.' It would be too much.

He seemed to know what she meant and he said, "I don't know, I don't think it's really hit me yet. Ask me in a few days."

She slid her arm behind him so that she could slowly rub his back. She was back to her thoughts. "We," she started, taking a deep breath. "We should probably discuss earlier and decide what it means."

Ron looked confused and said, "Er, that it's all over?"

Hermione smiled softly and shook her head. "Um, no. Earlier, as in before the battle. You know… the kiss."

Realization dawned on Ron and he said, "Oh… right, then. Uh, erm, well…what did you want it to mean?"

Hermione bit her lip and said, "I don't think it was just in the heat of the moment."

Ron stopped walking and a lopsided grin began to form. "Yeah?" he asked, and she nodded, a slight blush growing. He stepped in closer and said, "And it wasn't just because I remembered the house-elves?"

Hermione managed to chuckle as she shook her head. Ron smiled and said, "I hoped it wasn't…" before closing the distance between them.

This kiss wasn't the same as the first one, but not in a bad way. It was less rushed and needy. He didn't pick her up, but his hands were tangled in her hair and her hands were taking fistfuls of the back of his shirt. She thought her knees might give out when his tongue grazed her bottom lip. She leaned back just a little and realized that they had walked towards the wall, which she was grateful for. She opened her mouth to him and moved closer as his arm wrapped around her waist.

_Oh Merlin, I just properly snogged Ron!_ she thought as they pulled apart for air. They took each other's hands, and Hermione wondered if the grin on her face looked as silly as Ron's. If she wasn't already going to chuckle at the look on Ron's face, she definitely did when he couldn't hold back a big yawn.

"We should go sleep," she said with a smile. "And you definitely need a shower."

They turned to walk toward the dormitories, hand in hand, and Ron said, "Hey! I think it's at least _we _need to."

Hermione scrunched up her nose and said, "Probably." She gave him another look over and saw a bloodied spot by his shoulder. "Ron, did you have someone look at your shoulder?"

"No, it stopped bleeding. It's fine," he said after looking down at his shoulder and shrugging.

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Ron! You have to have someone look at it. It probably needs a healing charm and-"

"And I bet the hospital wing is busy and you can do the healing charm anyway. Relax, it's not a big deal," Ron said, sounding a bit exasperated.

"It is too a big deal, Ron. It could get infected or scar badly or worse if it's even deeper. How deep is it? We really should probably stop by the hospital wing. If it's not bad then it will take just a second…"

Ron sighed and tried to persuade Hermione that it was fine all the way to Gryffindor Tower.


	7. The Ability to Breathe

"Ron, are you sure? At least let me have a look at it then," Hermione said in a very worried tone as they stepped into the portrait hole.

Ron smirked and said, "That, I think I would be okay with."

He leaned in to kiss her but she moved away and said sharply, "I didn't mean it like that."

Ron instantly felt a knot in his stomach. There was no way he could have already screwed this up. "Sorry, 'Mione, I was only kidding," he said quickly.

Her face softened and she gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "You know…" she started off before blushing a bit. Ron wondered what she wanted to say that was embarrassing her. "I really did miss you when you were gone during the Horcrux search."

Ron sighed. He wasn't ready to jump into that conversation again. "I was a git. I don't know what else I can-" She covered his mouth with her hand and he looked down at her, confused.

"I know," she said, nodding. She looked down for a moment and he barely noticed that he was holding his breath. "One of the things I missed was you sleeping next to me."

He suddenly felt immensely relieved. "Yeah?" he asked, a lopsided grin forming.

"Mmmhmm. I actually think I slept better," she said with a shy smile.

He honestly couldn't believe this was all happening. The war was over and Hermione wanted him. He was afraid that at any moment he would wake up back in that blasted tent. He leaned in and softly kissed her. As he pulled away he said, "Yeah, me too."

She smiled and grabbed his hand as she led him to the dormitories. "Well, Harry is most likely in the boys' dormitories but… you know boys can step onto the girls' staircase if invited," she said.

When they stepped on the first stair step without it turning into a slide, he felt a bit dumbfounded. He was going to get to sleep with Hermione _in her bed._ He had been imagining Hermione in her bed for years now. Of course, he was pretty sure there was going to be absolutely no shagging tonight. He actually didn't think he wanted there to be shagging already. What with the war just ending and them just admitting their feelings, it would be a little rushed. But he would definitely enjoy sleeping next to her. It would make him feel better, too, knowing she was right next to him. He might not be able to fall asleep if he didn't know exactly where she was and if she wasn't in eyesight. The night at Malfoy Manor put a lot of things in perspective, and he felt even more protective of her now.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice when they arrived to what he guessed was their year's room. She opened her beaded bag and pulled out toiletries as well as pajamas for both and said, "Well, the lavatory's right there. Wait for me to get out of my shower before you get out of yours so I can make sure no one is around." He nodded with a smile, noting the awkward tension between them.

While the dormitory didn't look much different from the boys' side, the bathroom was bigger and brighter. He thought he liked the showers better, too. However, that thought was on his mind for only about the first twenty seconds of his shower. As soon as he heard Hermione turn on her water his mind went a very different rout. She was only a shower or two away from him, naked… and wet. He tried to will the thoughts out of his mind but years of sexual frustration as well as their snogs tonight wasn't helping. _Must not wank… must not wank..._ he thought to himself as he tried to take his shower as quickly as possible. She would probably think he was a complete pervert if she knew the thoughts going through his head.

Having the quicker shower did not end up being a very good idea. Without his own shower to distract him, once he was done he had to listen to the water still running in hers. He tried to abate his imagination and was relieved when her water turned off. But then it just made him think about her drying off. As he changed into his pajamas in his shower stall he tried as hard as he could to will himself not to think about her. _Aunt Muriel… Aunt Muriel…_

He was in deep concentration when he suddenly heard her say, "Ron? You can come out now. No one's out here."

He took a deep breath and then walked out of his stall and the bathroom.

When he saw her in the dormitory, he smiled. She was wearing a nightgown and her dressing robe, which he found a little bit amusing because he couldn't remember the last time he saw Ginny wearing a night gown and yet Hermione still did. Her skin was still slightly pink from her shower, and her hair was wet.

She looked at him confused before saying, "Ron? Oomph…" She was cut off from saying anymore because he was kissing her again. He threaded his fingers in her hair as his other hand went to her hip. She moved in closer and wrapped one arm around his neck while the other rested on his chest. The hand on her hip began to slide down and he cupped her bum before quickly bringing it back up to her hip. _You can't do that yet, you dolt!_ he thought, suddenly nervous that Hermione would pull away. She didn't though. She even arched into him. He knew he had to stop or else he wouldn't be able to get a grip on himself, so he reluctantly pulled away.

Her skin was now flushed and her lips were swollen. "Sorry…" he shyly said. He didn't want to mess it up, and he had the feeling he was going to be paranoid about their relationship for a while.

She smiled and the knot in his stomach went away. "Ron… you don't have to apologize for _that…_" she said, just as shyly. She then smoothed out her nightdress and said, "Well, we should go ahead and get some sleep. I'm sure tomorrow will be another long day." He groaned as he followed her to her bed, and instantly stopped moping once he got there. The realization of being able to sleep in _Hermione's _bed hit him again. As she climbed into her bed she looked shy and nervous, and he couldn't help but smile. He tentatively crawled under the sheets as well as she closed the bed hangings.

At first he wondered when they had last been this awkward. They were lying fairly stiff on their respective sides of the bed. He wondered if he was the one that was supposed to do something, to break the tension. He was worried of doing the _wrong_ thing, though.

His thoughts were broken by a small voice. "Do you think we will have to speak with the Ministry tomorrow?"

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I dunno. But it'll probably just be Kingsley, right? That won't be bad."

There was more silence and then Ron felt Hermione's hand slide into his. He looked over and she was lying on her side. He began to turn as well, but even though he didn't think the wound on his shoulder was too bad, it began to hurt when he put that kind of pressure on his shoulder. Hermione must have noticed him wince because she frowned and sat up.

"You were supposed to let me look at that," she said as she began tugging at his shirt. He knew he had to be blushing as he helped her pull of his shirt. He had been hoping that she would be taking off his shirt in her bed for a very different reason.

She furrowed her brow as she looked down at his wound. It was a little longer than two inches, but wasn't too deep or wide. He closed his eyes and tried to think of Aunt Muriel again as Hermione obliviously crawled over him to get to her wand.

"Okay, this should do for now, at least," she said as she flicked her wand. The pain mostly went away, and he looked down to see the skin close together, leaving a pink splotch where the wound had been.

"I still think you should have Madame Pomfrey check you to make sure it doesn't need more healing because of how deep it was," she said, suddenly sounding and looking very solemn. Her finger gently traced where the wound had been and tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

"Hermione?" Ron said, confused. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, shaking her bushy hair. "Nothing, and everything." Ron looked even more confused at that declaration. "It's over. After all of these years, it's finally over. And we're both alive and together now… but you could have died. Either of us could have died tonight, and so many people did. I feel torn between feeling happy or sad or guilty for feeling so happy." She was taking deep breaths, obviously trying to get her emotions in control.

He was pretty sure he was still rubbish at the whole comforting thing. He felt a bit uncomfortable as well as pained seeing her cry. One of his hands went to her cheek and he brushed away a tear with his thumb. "I know… me too…" was all he managed to say. And he did understand what she meant. He was so relieved it was over. Hermione being tortured and almost dying at Malfoy Manor was almost enough to do him in, and he didn't think he would have been able to handle it if she had died tonight. But they were both alive, and she was holding one of his hands as her cheek rested in his palm. He kissed her wet cheek and then softly kissed her lips.

Before he knew it they were both grasping for each other again, kissing madly. He needed her though, needed _this_, to remind him that he was alive and she was alive and the war really was over. He had a feeling that she felt the same way as she leaned back and pulled him down with her. He was feeling so elated at being with her like that and being alive. He wished he hadn't been a daft git and had made a move with Hermione earlier, but he was glad that now he had the rest of his life to make it up to her.

That was when Fred's death hit him. Ron now had a chance at a future, and if he had any say in the matter, it would include a lot of the girl he was currently snogging. He was able to breathe and kiss and touch and whisper. As his hand grazed over Hermione's skin he realized he was able to do all these things tonight and, hopefully, for the rest of his life. Fred couldn't do anything ever again. He couldn't joke with George or conspire with Ginny or snog Alicia or fluster mum or…whisper and touch and kiss and _breathe. _

Ron could feel his lungs constrict and he choked up. Hermione pulled back a bit but Ron tried to carry on. The pain and loss he was feeling was too much, and so he began kissing her neck to try and rid himself of those feelings.

He moved to kiss her shoulder, his stubbly cheek rubbing against the nape of her neck, when Hermione pulled away and whispered, "Ron?" He looked up, wondering what made her pull away, when she brushed her thumb across his cheekbone he realized he must have begun to cry.

Hermione stared at him, concerned, and said softly, "What's wrong?"

Ron's head was swimming. "It's just… Fred's gone. He could be a real git sometimes but he wasn't supposed to die… how could he…he can't do anything anymore because he's-he's….." but he couldn't say it. He felt his lungs constrict again and his throat close up and he couldn't bring himself to force the word out.

"Oh, Ron," Hermione said as she sat up to wrap her arms around him. Her fingers gently rubbed the back of his head and he let himself rest his head into her shoulder. "I know," she whispered.

"And… Lupin and Tonks, too? I just…" but again he couldn't speak.

After what could have been minutes or hours of Hermione soothingly playing with the hair on the back of his head as he rested against her, they finally laid back against the bed. They laid intertwined and Ron again felt really lucky to be alive and be there like he was. Hermione was right, though. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

_Author's Note: The next chapter and probably for a little while after that it will be most H/G POV... but this chapter had to come before the next H/G chapter could! Hope you enjoyed it!_


	8. First Things First

"You're kidding me!" Ginny said with an astonished smile.

Harry grinned back and said, "Nope. Just dropped everything and started to snog." Making her smile like she just did made him feel warm, and even more hopeful. When she chuckled he felt even better.

"Merlin, they've had years to do something about it and they pick _that_ moment?" Ginny said, and Harry laughed.

"Yeah, I had to remind them we were in the middle of a war," he said. When she giggled, he thought he could produce a patronus on the spot.

That feeling quickly faded as they reached the dormitories. Ginny stopped and looked up at him, and Harry recognized that spark that he loved so much seemed to be returning.

She looked as if she was trying to formulate what she wanted to say and he decided to let her speak first. "Thanks, Harry, for being… patient. It's just a lot to take in, this whole night."

Harry nodded and as much as he didn't want her out of his sight, he understood that she had a lot to deal with considering her brother, classmates, and, for a moment, her ex-boyfriend all died tonight. He was getting used to how to handle death, but he still remembered that he was a mess after Sirius died.

He forced a smile and said, "Well, I guess it sorta is my turn to wait."

She laughed, and when she smirked he knew it was all going to work out. "Definitely. But, I have a feeling it won't be as long as I had to." She then stood up on her tip-toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Good night, Harry. And take a shower, will you? You look like shite," she said, her smirk still on her face.

He smiled and put his hands his pocket as he watched her climb the stairs and said in a joking tone, "Thanks, Gin. 'Night."

Once Ginny knew she was out of sight she stopped and leaned against the wall. She knew she wanted Harry, that she _needed_ him, but at the same time she needed to sort herself out. This year had been a very different one for her. Yes, she was left behind again like so many times before, but she had become more independent and stronger. She, Neville, and Luna had been determined to fight in their own way. She didn't have a boyfriend for the first time since the end of her third year. She and other former DA members had to try to pick up the slack of their former leaders being absent. She had always thought of herself as fairly strong and independent, but now she was even surer of it.

But right now she felt incredibly vulnerable and torn. She sighed as she began to climb the stairs. She needed a shower and sleep.

Thirty minutes later she was sitting in her bed, and as exhausted as she was, she couldn't fall asleep. For some reason she just didn't want to be alone. No one in her year had returned to the dormitories, and she wasn't sure anyone would. She finally climbed out of bed and went to the seventh years' dormitory. She hoped Hermione was back,

However, she didn't make it past the door because that was definitely her _brother_ snogging a certain bushy-haired brunette. She was also pretty sure that was his hand on Hermione's bum. She quickly flew down the stairs so she wouldn't be spotted and broke into a fitful of giggles.

When she calmed herself down she rested against the wall again and began to rethink the night. There was definitely a time to mourn and a time to figure out every little detail of her life, but what she should be doing, and what Fred would want her to be doing, is celebrating that the war was over and that the people survived were alive. She laughed to herself that, for once, Ron and Hermione were the ones with the right idea about how to handle a complicated relationship.

Ginny made her way to the seventh years' boys' dormitory and when she walked in the door Harry was looking out the window. She noticed that he had taken her advice and cleaned himself up. She also tried to stop herself from taking in a deep breath because he was standing in just his boxers. Sure, she had seen him in just swim trunks before, so she really shouldn't see a big difference, but there was. As she walked up she noticed how thin he was beginning to look again.

"My mum is going to have kittens when she sees how skinny you are," she said with a smirk as he turned around.

He looked surprised to see her and said, "Yeah, I'm sure she'll be shoving loads of food toward me for the next few weeks, but I won't mind."

She smiled, walked up beside him and looked out the window. "I've always liked looking out the window in our dormitory, too."

He nodded and looked back over Hogwarts grounds and said, "I used to sit here with Hedwig and stare out."

Ginny couldn't resist. "Especially when you were brooding?"

He gave her a look and she chuckled and looked down. She then looked back up and said, "I always thought you were a pajamas sort of guy. Or at least pajama _pants_ sort of guy."

"Oh," he said, and she thought she noticed a blush. "Well, Hermione has all of our clothes and I don't know where she is."

She looked back toward the window and said with a smirk, "Snogging Ron in the girls' dormitories."

Harry laughed and said, "Well… I definitely won't try to find her then."

There was a silence and Ginny could just _feel_ Harry staring at her. She knew he had to be wondering why she was there.

"You know," she started, still looking out the window, "This year I've gotten to be on my own a lot more. It was the first time no one from family was at Hogwarts. I had Neville and Luna… but it was sort of the same with them. We had to step up." She paused, and was glad that Harry didn't interrupt. "I thought that it would be better for me to sort out all of my feelings before jumping back into anything." She looked at him and said quickly, "I'm not the _exact_ same girl anymore, Harry. I'm probably more or less the same but, a lot can happen in a year."

He nodded and said, "I'm not the same either, Ginny."

She bit her lip and looked back at the window. "Well, I just realized that we have plenty of time now to figure everything out and to mourn and to do well… everything. So I'm being a little stupid to postpone being happy when we could be happier now and still figure things out later." She coughed and looked back at Harry, and while she wasn't crying, her eyes were a little watery. "I think Fred would rather everyone be celebrating right after than mourning, anyway."

Harry nodded and placed some of the hair in her face behind her ear. He knew her losing Fred would be like if he had lost Ron, which was one of the reasons he had been fine with giving her time. "Me too. They want us to live our lives, though" he said, as if he knew that for a fact. Given the very little he would tell her about his short death, she had a feeling he might have known that for a fact.

She wrapped her arms around him and rested against his chest. She felt her sadness begin to fade as he rubbed her back. After a moment she said, "See? I told you you weren't going to have to wait as long."

They both laughed and he tipped her chin up so he could kiss her. She kissed him back, and for a moment she thought she might wake up at Aunt Muriel's and find out it had all been a dream. Of course, the way his hand slid down her waist and his tongue ran over her lip felt a lot more real than any dream she had ever had. When they pulled away she kissed his neck, then his shoulder, and then his chest.

When she kissed his chest she noticed a huge burn scar over his heart. She looked up at him, concerned, and said, "What's that?"

He looked down and said, "Oh… that's from one of the Horcruxes. I was wearing Slytherin's locket and it burned me."

Without a smirk or a smile she still jokingly said, "Wow, you sure have a thing for attention-catching scars."

He shook his head with a smile as she traced the scar with her fingers gently. She finally leaned in and softly kissed the scar before whispering, "All better, then."

He looked down at her with a surprised look and whispered back, "Yeah, it is."

She looked up with a questioning look and said, "Why do you look so surprised?"

He wrapped his arms around her waist again and said, "Well, that you're here, and the war's over… and no one's ever done that before."

She looked up, her chin resting on his chest. "Done what?" she asked.

"Erm… kissed a wound or a scar to make it better," he said with a bit of a laugh.

She didn't find it very funny though. It actually made her a little sad. "Oh, Harry…" she said.

"Well, I mean, I'm sure my parents did. I just don't remember anyone doing it," he said, as if that made it better.

She brushed some of his fringe out of his eyes and said with a sweet voice, "Then I promise to kiss your boo boos for you then."

He smirked and said, "Well… I can think of a few right now…"

She giggled and rested her head against his chest again. She felt so good being with him like that as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "When do you stop feeling guilty for being happy?" she suddenly asked very seriously.

She felt him shrug as he said, "I dunno, really."

When he yawned she looked up and said, "The reason I went to see Hermione was because I didn't want to sleep in a room by myself."

"Sleep here," he quickly said, and she almost laughed at how quick he said it.

"I'ld love to…" she said as she stood on her tip-toes to kiss him. "We should probably go ahead and go to bed, though. It's already morning, basically."

He nodded, a bit of a goofy grin on his face, and took her hand to lead her to his bed. She crawled under the covers as he did and settled against his chest. She sighed as she listened to his heart beat. She was so happy to be able to hear it. She listened for a while as he gently ran his fingers through her hair, and finally she fell asleep.

_Author's note: Thanks for the reviews! I hope you all now see why the second R/HR chapter had to come before this one, as well as why Ginny had to be so conflicted at first. I think death affects people in different ways, and sometimes you just need a moment to breathe!_


	9. Settling an Arrangement

_Author's Note: All edited. I should probably sit on a chapter for a night or a day to make sure I'm content enough with it, haha._

When Harry opened his eyes, he was first surprised by how the sun seemed to already be setting, and then that the object moving by his bed wasn't Ginny.

"Holy Fu-" he yelled when he put on his glasses and realized it was just Kreacher putting a sandwich and chips on his nightstand.

"Sorry, Master Potter," he said, bowing, "I didn't mean to wake you… I thought you would want food when you awoke."

Harry sat up in bed and lifted his glasses to rub his eyes. "No.. no it's fine, Kreacher. And, please, just call me, Harry." He leaned over and grabbed the plate and said, "Thanks, for this. What time is it? Where is everyone?"

"It's after six, sir. I think everyone went home or is eating," Kreacher said, putting some of Harry's clothes on the end of his bed. "Miss Granger wanted me to give this to you, sir."

Harry chewed on his sandwich and then said, "Do you know if the Weasleys and Hermione are in the Great Hall?"

"Yes, sir, I think so," Kreacher replied.

Harry quickly jumped up and began throwing on his clothes. "Thanks, Kreacher!" Harry yelled as he ran out the door.

The Great Hall looked fairly cleaned up, even if the rest of the castle appeared to need a lot of work. The walls still needed repairing, but the tables were out and clean. The few people that stayed to help clean up were gathered in there, which included a good bit of the Order, the Professors, and only a few seventh years.

Ron and Hermione were sitting off to the side, leaning in to talk quietly with Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Harry walked over, and the gang didn't notice him until Hermione declared, "Harry! You're awake!"

"Yeah, and I'm starved," he said, sliding into the open space next to Ron and across from Ginny. She gave him a smile before taking a bite of her chicken. He smiled back and didn't notice when the plate in front of him filled itself.

"How long were you out for?" asked Ron as he ate. Hermione rolled her eyes, and Harry figured it must have been that he hadn't finished swallowing before talking.

Harry had no idea how long he had slept and after opening his mouth and then shutting it again, Ginny chimed in to say, "About thirteen hours or so. Does that sound right, Harry?"

Ron narrowed his eyes slightly, looking between the two of them, and said, "How would you know when he went to sleep, Ginny?"

"Same way you know when Hermione did," Ginny said with a smirk. Harry and even Neville snickered at that, Luna smiled in a dazed sort of way and Ron and Hermione both blushed.

The six of them spent the next hour or so catching each other up on what had happened over the year. Harry had divulged the explanation of the Horcruxes under the pretense that it wouldn't leave their group, he didn't really want loads of people to know of an evil way of trying to live forever. He told a little bit about facing Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest, but couldn't bring himself to give any more details. There were things he wanted to tell Ginny, Ron, and Hermione privately… and not in a room with other people. He also noticed how Ron grew much quieter, Hermione began to tear up, and Ginny grew pale as he told the less detailed version of the story, and so he felt it might be too soon to go into specifics.

Finally, Mrs. Weasley ushered Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione off to go to the Burrow. After a slight detour to grab Ginny's trunk, which had been left at Hogwarts since Easter break, the group made their way off of Hogwarts grounds and back to the Burrow.

It looked as though someone had ransacked the house. Harry felt both shocked and uncomfortable when he first noticed the mess, and then at how Mrs.Weasley immediately began picking up. As they left Hogwarts Ginny told Harry that someone had broken into the Burrow while they were at her Aunt Muriel's, and that her father had gone back earlier that day to check on it.

Harry glance over to Ron, who was growing red and stuffing his hands in his pockets. It was Ron's first time to be home in over nine months, and someone had made a complete mess of it.

Finally Ron sighed and said, "I'm going to go make sure the ghoul's out of my room." As he headed for the stairs Hermione followed behind saying, "I'll help you get rid of him, if he's still there."

Ginny quietly walked into their living room and began trying to pick things up. Harry followed her and silently helped her put the furniture right side up and in their place. He began picking up the pillows off the floor and tried to put them where they go when Ginny wandered away. After a few minutes of Harry picking up an end table and the knickknacks that had been on it, he noticed Ginny was standing by the grandfather clock.

Harry's stomach plummeted as he thought of what that probably meant. He walked over and saw that Mr.Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Ginny were all on 'home.' Bill and a newly added Fleur were on "Shell Cottage," Charlie was on "Traveling," Percy was on "Work," George was on "WWW" and Fred's hand was no longer there. Harry sighed and rested a hand on Ginny's back. She turned into him and he wrapped his arms around her. She took a deep breath and took fistfuls of his shirt before pulling away and saying, "I'm fine… I'm fine."

Harry nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, um, why don't we take your trunk upstairs, yeah?" Harry cast a charm to lift the trunk and started to follow Ginny upstairs.

"Harry, dear?" Mrs. Weasley said, just before he ascended the stairs.

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley?" he asked, keeping the trunk levitated as he walked over to Mrs. Weasley.

She sniffed and handed him a letter and said with a bit of a sniff, "This must have come by owl for you before we got back."

Harry took the letter, thanked her, and returned to following Ginny up the stairs.

Whoever had been looking for the Weasleys definitely searched in Ginny's room. Ginny didn't seem to make real notice of it, other than picking up her desk chair and remaking her bed. It was uncomfortable to watch, really. Harry reminded himself again that the war was over, took a deep breath, and then silently tried to help Ginny pick up her things. It was a bit hard to right the room when he had only been it once before and he hadn't exactly been paying attention to much of the way the room was setup.

He opened up her trunk and looked down quizzically for a moment. He definitely didn't know where anything went, but he didn't want to be useless. When he looked back up, Ginny was smirking at him.

"Harry, it's very sweet of you to try and help me unpack but… you look a bit lost there," she said as she began emptying her trunk. She seemed to notice that he looked uncomfortable watching her unpack, so she began handing him things and telling him where they went. He blushed like mad when saw her pull out pairs of knickers and bras and put them in their respective drawer.

As she was close to finished unpacking a worried expression grew on her face. As she put the last couple of things up he wondered if she had enjoyed the distraction. This theory was confirmed for him when she began looking for other things to do. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking around as well, and said, "Oh… er, I wonder who sent me a letter to the Burrow."

Ginny looked interested and walked over to him as he opened the letter. It was from Kingsley, and he was requesting a meeting for the next day.

"He talked to Ron and Hermione earlier today," she said as she read over his shoulder.

"Yeah?" he asked, rereading the letter.

Ginny wrapped her arms around him and said, "Are you ready to talk about everything?"

"To Kingsley? Yeah, I think I can tell him all of the stuff he needs to know," he said, turning so he could face her.

"Who else do you need to tell things to?" she asked, looking confused.

"Well… you, and Ron and Hermione. It's too soon though. For me and for you," he said, and she looked interested in his vague answer.

"Too soon for me, too?" she asked, a crooked eyebrow.

"Just… trust me, okay?" he asked. She already was having to deal with Fred's death, he didn't want to get into the gritty details of his own. She nodded and he paused for a minute, debating on touching the subject of Fred, and finally said, "How are you?"

She sighed and rested her head again his chest. "I just… I guess being back here makes it all more real. Seeing his hand gone, seeing his room in the hall. When does it stop hurting?" she asked.

He kissed the top of her head and said, "Well, not ever completely… or it hasn't for me, yet. But it gets better, I promise."

She nodded, her head still resting against his chest.

There was a long silence as he tried to comfort her by rubbing her back. He took in the sight of her room and he couldn't help but smirk.

"Remember the last time I was in your room?" he asked quietly.

He thought he could feel her smile against his chest. "Hmm… I think so. It was, what, your birthday, wasn't it?" she asked a bit cheekily.

"It was a very good birthday present…" he said, looking down just as she looked up, resting her chin on his chest now.

"Really? If I remember right, we were interrupted and you couldn't get the whole gift," she said, and Harry tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He tilted his head down just a little more as she lifted herself and soon their lips met.

At first the kiss was slow and gentle, but it quickly became more passionate. Ginny felt her grief and fears begin to melt as his arms wrapped around her. She could hardly think at all as her hands slid under the back of his shirt, his lips moved to her neck, and one of his hands began roaming as the other was tangled in her hair. She was momentarily surprised when he pulled away, the both of them regaining their breath as he tried to lock eyes with her.

"Gin… you said yesterday that it had to be slow and… I'll take it, I will. Do you want to just restart or go where we left off?" he said, looking concerned.

She smiled at how he was worried about all of that and took what she had said the night before to heart. "I think we can pick up where we left off," she said with a grin before he quickly returned to kissing her. She pulled her wand out of her back pocket, locked the door and placed her wand on her nightstand as they walked and kissed toward her bed.

Before she knew it she was falling back onto her bed, bringing Harry with her. She squirmed a bit to get comfortable and to get fully on the bed. Her mind seemed to shutdown as he kissed her neck and slid a hand under her shirt.

"Merlin, I missed you," he whispered. She returned the sentiment by tugging at his shirt and pulling it over his shirt.

Many kisses, touches, goosebumps and shivers later found Ginny unable to think. They had gone this far in their relationship last year, other than the fact that her shirt was off. Broom closets and empty classrooms and corridors allowed a fair deal of fooling around, but not enough secure privacy for them to be comfortable enough to actually remove their clothes. Ginny had a sneaking suspicion that Harry was always afraid of someone, probably her brother, walking in on them, and it's harder to cover up if he they took off clothes.

Once her mind was no longer as cloudy and she could breathe properly, she tangled her fingers into his hair and wrapped a leg around his. "Harry, do you think you could sleep with me again tonight?" she asked as her hands began to explore him again.

Harry looked up at her and said, "Yeah… yeah, definitely if you want me to and we can get Ron to be okay with it."

Ginny smirked and said, "Well, if it means Hermione's sleeping in his room, I think he will get over it." Harry smirked back and went back to kissing her anywhere he could. Her hands roamed over his chest and she had just mustered enough courage to begin to slide her fingertips under the waistband of his jeans when there was a quick, but loud, knock on the door. Ginny froze, her head falling back against the bed as Harry rested his forehead on her collarbone and they both cursed lowly.

"Unless it's your mum or dad, I might just _kill_ whoever is at the door," Harry muttered, trying very hard not to just ignore it and resume what he had been doing.

"Ginny? Are you in there? It's Hermione," came the voice outside the door.

Ginny groaned as she attempted to sit up. "What do you want?" she asked a bit harsher than she meant to. Ginny then scanned her room and noticed Hermione's trunk was still in Ginny's room from August.

"Um, I thought I was staying in your room, and I think my trunk might still be in there," Hermione said.

"Oh, right," Ginny lamely said back.

Harry sighed and stood up from the bed. "I'll just… be in the loo," he said, blushing a bit before grabbing his shirt, leaning down and kissing Ginny, stealing a quick glance now that she was sitting up and still topless with another blush, and heading for the bathroom.

Ginny sighed and said, "Just a minute" as she zipped up and buttoned up her jeans and quickly tried to put on the rest of her clothes. She looked at herself in the mirror and her hair was a mess and she definitely looked flush. "Oh well…" she muttered before opening the door.

"Sorry," Ginny said as she opened the door. "We were unpacking my things and…" and then Ginny realized she wasn't sorry at all, "and having some _alone_ time."

Hermione's brow furrowed before a look of realization dawned her face. "Oh, well, sorry about that." She then looked around Ginny's room and said, "Where did Harry go?"

Ginny kept a very straight face and said, "He had to go to the loo." The two girls stared at each other for a minute before alternating between giggling and blushing the tiniest bit. "Actually, I was hoping he could sleep in here."

Hermione raised an eyebrow and said, "Do you really think Ron would go for that?"

Ginny shrugged and said, "If it means you're sleeping in his room, I would think so. Think it will work?"

Ginny was a bit surprised at the smirk that appeared on Hermione's face as she said, "I think I can persuade him."

Harry came out then and said, "Who?"

Ginny looked over her shoulder and said, "Hermione's on board for getting Ron to agree to our sleeping arrangements."

Harry smiled and said, "Let me get my stuff then." He walked over and gave Ginny a kiss and said, "And I probably should talk to them about their chat with Kingsley."

"Mmk," Ginny said as she walked over to her dresser drawers to get her pajamas. "Just hurry back."

Harry gave her a smile and nod and Hermione charmed her trunk to follow the two back to Ron's room.

Ron was putting the sheets on the extra bed that was in his room for Harry when the pair walked in.

"Er… mate," Ron said as he saw Hermione's trunk. "Your trunk is still in here. That's Hermione's."

Hermione rolled her eyes with a smile and said, "We thought of a better arrangement for tonight. Harry and I will switch so that I can sleep in here." Hermione was very careful not to attach "Ginny's room" with Harry as she spoke

Ron smiled at first and said "Yeah?" before realization dawned on him and he said, "Wait… that means Harry would be sleeping in Ginny's room. No way. You two can date and all but I don't want you sleeping with my baby sister like last night."

Hermione rolled her eyes and spoke before Harry even had the chance and said, "Honestly, Ronald, she's only one year younger than us. She's hardly a baby. Besides, I thought you would enjoy my company more tonight." Harry had to hand it to Hermione, she seemed to know (mostly) how Ron worked.

"Of course I would enjoy it," Ron said with a smirk. He then sobered up when he looked over at Harry and said, "Why don't you sleep in here with me and Harry can sleep in one of the extra rooms. Bill, Charlie, and Percy won't be sleeping here tonight. He can sleep in one of their rooms." Ron looked pleased with himself that he found a way around Harry sleeping in Ginny's room and still accomplishing having Hermione sleep in his. Harry wondered how Hermione would get around his idea.

"You are such a hypocrite!" she yelled, and Harry closed the door. "We can sleep in the same bed but _they_ can't? Are you really that worried they will have sex? If they do it's Ginny's own decision, unless you're implying that Harry would push himself on her. I _know_ you aren't saying that about your best mate!" Harry started feeling really uncomfortable as he listened to this. Nothing like that would happen if he stayed in Ginny's room, he didn't even know if she wanted to do that yet, but Hermione talking about it still made him want to squirm. Meanwhile, Ron was turning red as he kept opening and shutting his mouth.

"And do you really think that if a boy and a girl are in a relationship and sleep in the same bed, they automatically are going to have sex? If you do then, you're right, Harry shouldn't sleep in Ginny's room because I _definitely _shouldn't sleep in your room because that is _not_ happening already!"

"No… no I don't think that. Come on, Hermione," he said, sighing. "What about my mum and dad? They won't like it."

Harry finally gave input by shrugging and saying, "Let's just get up a little earlier and switch back. Your mum usually yells to wake us up anyway."

"Fine, fine. The two of you should switch," Ron said, conceding. "But everyone sleeps with clothes on. I don't want to see extra skin…"

Hermione's anger immediately dropped and she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a smile. "Good, because I really wanted to switch."

Ron wrapped his arms around her waist and said, "Yeah?" Just as he leaned down to kiss her, Harry coughed loudly and Hermione jumped away. Harry didn't feel bad for interrupting at all considering all the times Ron interrupted him and Ginny.

"We still need to talk about what Kingsley said to you two," he said, standing up and pulling his letter from Kingsley out of his back pocket.

Hermione sat down on Ron's bed and Ron internally groaned. He sat down too and said, "He just asked about Gringott's and what we're doing this summer," he said with a shrug.

Hermione waited for Ron to finish before elaborating. "He had to ask about Gringott's because of the amount of damage. He asked what we were doing this summer and next year. I told him that I was going to try and catch up on sixth year and then I will go back to Hogwarts for my seventh year so I can take the NEWTs."

Harry shook his head and Ron merely smiled. "When did you decide on all that?" Harry asked.

"Well, what else do you propose? We need to take our NEWTs, Harry. Plus, we have already had six years, I want to finish my education," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

Harry shrugged and said, "I dunno, it would be weird going to back after everything that's happened." Ron nodded and Harry added, "Kingsley wants to me with me tomorrow."

"Me, too," Ron said, a bit surprised. Obviously Kingsley hadn't told Ron that he had requested a meeting with Harry just as Harry's letter hadn't mentioned Ron.

"Me, too," Hermione said. Harry was more surprised at how Ron looked a little surprised at this admission. When Hermione noticed Harry's look she blushed and said, "We hadn't really gotten around to talking about that..."

Harry furrowed his brow and said, "I wonder why he wanted to know what we planned on doing now… it seems a little soon to ask right after the battle…"

Ron suddenly looked a bit excited and said, "Maybe he wants us to do a favor…"

"Maybe some Auror-type work?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Harry, didn't you say at dinner you were ready for a break?"

"Yeah, but getting to act like an Auror would be kinda cool," Harry said with a smile.

"And if we do well we might not have to worry about our NEWT scores," Ron said as Hermione looked even more annoyed.

"Harry, you've been doing Auror-like things since you were eleven, and Ron, you should value your education for more than just the scores," Hermione said.

"Says the girl whose boggart is making bad marks," Ron quickly said back.

Hermione huffed and Harry could tell her annoyance was real this time.

"I'll just be taking some of my stuff…" Harry said, quickly grabbing pajama bottoms and a clean pair of boxers out of his trunk and making for the door.

When he made it to Ginny's room, she was already in her pajamas and reading an old Quidditch magazine. He smiled as she looked up and crooked her brow. "That took forever. But Ron agreed, didn't he?"

Harry nodded and said, "Hermione knew exactly what to say." He looked at her and then back down at the pajama pants and boxers in his hands. He noticed she smirked and he said, "Er… I'm just going to change now."

Ginny giggled as he hurried to the bathroom. She climbed into her bed, yawned, stretched and waited for him to come out. When he walked out she smiled at how he was shirtless again. It pained her a little bit to see the large scar on his chest, but she liked that he felt comfortable enough to just sleep in his pajama bottoms.

When he crawled into her bed he took in her flowery scent and finally felt at home. He had missed that scent so much. He yawned and said, "How could I be tired? I've only been awake for about five hours."

She smiled and began playing with his hair. "Because you spent a lot of energy last night what with dying and defeating one of the most powerful wizards the world has seen. Oh, and according to Hermione you hadn't slept in two days and you haven't been sleeping well since the trip started. So… I think those reasons should be enough explanation," she said, smirking again.

"Thanks for the cheek," he said as he pulled her into him.

"It's what I do," she retorted. She moved her head so that it was resting just under his shoulder again and he began running his hand through her hair. This all just felt so… right to him. He knew they couldn't do this every night while she still lived in the Burrow, and he really didn't think about that. He _wanted_ to fall asleep like this every night.

As if she was reading his thoughts she said quietly and contently, "I could get used to this arrangement." He smiled and kissed the top of her head. If he didn't know it before, he definitely knew it now: there was no way he could leave Ginny ever again.


	10. A Meeting with Kingsley

_Author's note:_ _Sorry to edit the last chapter AGAIN. I actually do have this outlined out but as I actually wrote this chapter out I realized that Kingsley wouldn't leave Hermione out, even if she said that she was planning on going to go back to school. Also, sorry it took me a while to post this! I just got back from a much needed vacation and I'm finally settled in. If you've been reading constant, too, it should be updated in the next day or two. Another note is at the end of this chapter!_

Harry figured he would have been nervous before his meeting with Kingsley. He wasn't, though. He thought it might be because Ron, Hermione, and, a little surprisingly, Neville both waited with him. It could have also been that Kingsley started off with small talk. Either way, he was more at ease than expected when Kingsley finally asked Harry to recount what had been happening this year.

"After all," Kingsley said in his deep, but tired, voice. "I'm interested to hear how you died and came back to life, which is what all the witnesses are saying."

So Harry started by telling bits of the last year with Dumbledore. Ron stared emotionless in front of him and Hermione nodded in agreement sporadically as Neville and Kingsley raised their eyebrows or nodded or shook their heads at different parts. Once it got to his seventh year he tried to be very vague on Ron's absence, and Ron's stare became even more fixed. Harry noticed as Hermione slipped her hand into Ron's and then as something seemed to click in Ron's head, and before Harry continued with his story, Ron interjected and explained the locket's power on him and how when he tried to return Harry and Hermione were already gone. Kingsley did not react at all. No raised eyebrows, no disappointed or disapproving look. Ron grew silent again and Harry didn't start up again until Kingsley said, "All right, then. Harry, continue."

Again the other four stayed silent as Harry continued. Ron and Neville both winced, with Ron showing a twinge of guilt, as Harry tried to tell as discreetly as possible what happened in Godric's Hollow. Hermione gently stroked Ron's arm a few times to try and relax him.

No one spoke until Harry began telling about Gryffindor's sword. Neville explained how he, Ginny, and Luna tried to steal it, Ron explained how he found Harry and what it looked like from the outside, and Harry explained that it was Snape's patronus that had led him there. Three sets of eyebrows went up at that.

"It was a doe," Harry said resolutely. "It was for my mother, but I'll get to that. I guess he just had to continue to act evil as headmaster to stay in the ranks, but he led me to the sword and…" The three looked at him expectantly and Harry said, "Well, I guess I can't get to the rest yet."

Harry then began to recount the last days before the final battle. He noticed Ron squirm as Harry described the scene at Malfoy Manor, and how Harry had gotten Draco's wand. That led him to Gringott's and finally to Hogwarts. After briefly mentioning that they destroyed all of the Horcuxes but two and that Neville killed Nagini, he paused. He hadn't even gone into detail about what he saw with Snape or the Forbidden Forest with Ron and Hermione yet. He took a deep breath and told them everything. He told them about Snape's death, about seeing Snape's memories, about how he was the final Horcrux, about his walk to the forest and what occurred there. He then explained the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone. He went into detail about all of it, except for seeing Ginny just before he died.

The nervousness finally set in as he tried to describe what happened after. Ron had already grown white when Harry described talking to his parents, Sirius, and Lupin, and Ron gripped the arm of his chair once Harry described being hit by the killing curse, and he didn't let up throughout the entire story of King's Cross. Harry glance over to Ron once during his narration, and noticed that Ron had the same exact look on his face as when he stared down at Fred after he died. Ron relaxed as Harry had moved on to returning and pretending to be dead. Neville and Ron both perked up as the final duel between Voldemort and Harry was recounted, and Harry explained who the real owner of the Elder Wand was. At the end of the recounting, Harry immediately grew silent and looked back at Kingsley.

There was a silence and Harry could feel Neville squirm in his seat. Kingsley stared at the three for a moment and said, "Well, that's a remarkable story, Harry."

Harry smirked and said, " One I don't want to have to tell repeatedly, sir."

Kingsley smiled and said, "Understandably. Well, I guess I should tell the four of you the other reason why I asked to meet you."

All four shifted in their seats a little as Kingsley paused. "We are going to need a lot of help the next few weeks, or months, catching rogue Death Eaters. If you four would like, I would allow you to work as Aurors until we have got a toehold on the situation, and after that you can bypass the first year of training. Not only would I allow it, I would appreciate it. All four of you of course have the choice of taking your seventh year at Hogwarts, even you Mr. Longbottom, since this year could barely count as a year of schooling for those who had been at Hogwarts." Kingsley leaned back in his chair and added, "However, if you decide to join us we could set up some sort of… additional training so that you can eventually take your NEWTs, depending on how much you progress."

Neville furrowed his brow and said, "If… if I can still do some training then…" He paused as if still deciding before saying, "then I will. I just don't know if I would want to be an Auror forever. Erm… no offense, sir."

Kingsley smiled and gave a nod. "None taken. I understand you are very gifted in Herbology. Are you hoping to get some training in that area?"

"Yes, sir," Neville replied.

Kingsley said, "I'm sure we can figure out something, then. We'll need as much help as we can get in many different areas of the Ministry for some time." He then turned his attention to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "And you three?"

Hermione spoke first. "I appreciate that very much sir, and while I could help some this summer… My parents are… away… and I need to reconnect with them. I also really have decided to complete my schooling at Hogwarts."

Kingsley's smile and calm demeanor did not leave as he gave Hermione a nod. Harry noticed as Hermione gave Ron a knowing look, as if prodding him into a specific decision. Was she trying to persuade him into taking his seventh year of school? As soon as Kingsley had proposed the offer Harry had wanted to take it, but he paused only to see what Ron and Hermione would say, and what that would mean for the potentially danger-free future he had finally obtained. He waited for Ron to turn down the offer as Hermione nodded at him, assuring him to speak.

"I'll do it," Ron said, and Harry almost fell out of his seat. Had she been pressing Ron to accept the offer. "I… I'ld be honored, sir."

The four were now looking at Harry. "I…" Harry started off. He had just gotten a life without constant battles. He had just promised Ginny he wouldn't leave her again and that he would consult her in big decisions for their relationship. This could jeopardize both, even if it had been one of his dreams. "I want to but… can I think about it? I think I just need a day to sort all of this out."

Kingsley nodded and said, "Of course, of course. All of you need a rest now anyways. I don't expect any help until after the funerals of Fred," Kingsley nodded at Ron, "and Remus and Tonks. Take some time to think it over, Harry."

Harry nodded and took that as their cue that they could leave if they wanted. As they walked out the door, Harry the last in the line, Harry stopped and said, "Sir, I really think you will make a great minister."

Kingsley just smiled and said, "Hopefully not for too long."

After Neville parted with them the three grew silent. Ron and Hermione kept glancing at Harry. After a few more silent moments of it, Harry said in an aggravated tone, "What?"

"Well…" Hermione said, pausing before saying, "What are you thinking?"

Harry stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'm thinking… I really want to do it. I've wanted to be an Auror for a while now. But, there's Ginny. And I think I need a break. Doing this is all I really know… you know?"

Ron smiled and said, "Yeah. We've been doing stuff like this since we were eleven."

"You more than anyone," Hermione chimed in. "And it's completely reasonable to want to break to see who you are without the whole hero business. It's not bad to want to finish school and-"

Harry gave her a rueful smile. "I never said that. I dunno," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I think it would be weird to go back to Hogwarts. A lot's changed. I think I might have… I don't know…"

"Moved on from it?" Ron asked. Harry looked mildly surprised because that was what he had been trying to put into words. "Me too."

"You know, I kinda thought you would want to stay because… well… you know…" Harry was not quite sure how to approach Ron and Hermione's relationship. They had held hands a few times and they seemed to be together… and Hermione seemed to be coaching Ron in Kingsley's office.

Ron blushed a little and said, "Er, well, I think going back to Hogwarts would be too weird, too. We talked about it last night."

"And I think it would be okay, we would be okay, if he didn't come back, especially if he's going to be doing Auror work for Kingsley. Of course, I would rather both of you come back for a seventh year. It will be really strange not having the two of you at Hogwarts but…" she looked at Ron with an affectionate smile that made Harry want to gag a little, "I can't hold you back." Ron grinned back down at her before she turned her attention back to Harry. "And I think Ginny would agree."

Harry perked up a bit then. "But… I just got back. It would be almost another year… and I promised I wouldn't leave again."

Hermione smiled and said, "It's not quite the same. I promise it will be fine. Just go talk to her and I know she'll understand."

Harry nodded and had a half a mind to Apparate on the spot back to the Burrow. Hermione must have sensed it because she bit her lip and said, "But just in case, just be ready to cast a shield charm."

Harry gulped. He just had to be crazy about a girl who had a mean bat-bogey hex.

_Additional note: Sorry if this one was a bit dry at first. I'm getting the initial background first of tying up everything right after the battle. It'll get more fun soon!_


	11. Making Good on a Promise

Harry went back to the Burrow to find that Ginny had gone out as well. Mrs. Weasley told him that she had gone to help George with some clean-up at WWW, and Harry hurried over there. He wanted to help George anyway, but he figured if he helped Ginny help George she would be in a much better mood with him when he talked about being an Auror.

However when he walked into the store, it appeared as if no one was there. "Ginny?" Harry yelled as he made his way through the messy aisles. "Gin?"

He suddenly saw a flash of red hair and heard a "shhh!" Ginny stepped out of an aisle and grabbed his hand. "Stay quiet," she whispered as she led him to the back of the store and halfway up the steps before stopping. Harry wondered what she was getting at before hearing a very familiar female voice. It took a few seconds before he realized it was Angelina Johnson who must be talking to George.

"George, I'm not backing down on this one. You didn't sleep at the Burrow and it looks like you didn't sleep at all. You're staying with me and you're eating at the Burrow. I can tell your mum is going to go mental over worry about you and I'm not far off, so you're coming," Angelina said firmly. After all of the Quidditch practices where she was captain, he could just see the look on her face and the crossing of her arms.

"What, you're going to be my mum now? No offense, Angie, but I already got one and one is enough. Besides… then we couldn't do this…"

There was a slight scuffle and clinking glass before Harry heard Angelina say angrily, "Oh, give me that. There's not going to be any of either of these until you come with me and come to your senses."

"He's sloshed," Ginny whispered. Harry looked down at Ginny then and noticed the mixture of concern and sadness on her face. He gave her hand a squeeze.

"Gotta stay here. Clean up shop. Can't go home," George said, almost firmly.

Harry could imagine Angelina rolling her eyes as she said, "That's why you're coming with me you daft ass. You don't have to clean up the shop right now."

"Hey, you can't call me names. I'm grieving," George said before pausing. "You're right. Not a point. Can't invent anymore anyway…"

Angelina's voice grew softer and Harry and Ginny quietly took a few more steps to hear better. "I wouldn't have to call you that if you weren't being so stubborn and would just come stay with me. And you _will_ be inventing still. You just don't need to work on the shop at this very minute."

"No… this is our shop. Gotta stay-" but George was swiftly interrupted. Harry didn't know how long Angelina had been arguing with him already but he could tell her patience was wearing thin.

"No! You're coming with me if I have to stun you and disapparate with you myself. This is Fred's and your shop but you know as well as I do that Fred would kick your arse right now if he saw you sloshed in the backroom refusing to go with your girlfriend or your sister or see your family. He would yell at you for wallowing. No! He would! He died, they all died, so we could stop with the fear and the grief and the war and you know he would want you to be celebrating. If he hadn't died I'm sure the two of you would have set off your stupid fireworks when everyone was celebrating at the Great Hall. I'm not finished! You can grieve; you should, but not like this. His life is over and believe me it hurts me a hell of a lot but I'm not going to let you act as if your life is over, too. I'm just… not," Angelina yelled at him. Harry was starting to feel uncomfortable listening. Sure Fred, George, and Ginny would try to eavesdrop on the adults constantly at Grimmauld Place, but this felt different. He tugged at Ginny's hand, but she didn't move.

The whole shop was completely silent. All Harry could hear was Ginny and him breathing.

"Well, why didn't you say so from the start?" George said, and Harry could even note a hint of his joking tone. Harry was a little worried that Angelina might hex him for that.

"I swear, George, you are going to drive me completely mental," Angelina said, exasperated.

"Ah, then we'll just be mental together. Might be fun?" George said, and for a few moments Harry couldn't tell what was going on, and he was rather glad he was on the stairs and not in the room to see.

"Do you really think our fireworks are stupid?" George asked.

"No, they're actually really brilliant," Angelina said, and finally it was Ginny tugging on Harry's hand.

"Good, now that that's done," Ginny whispered as she led him out of the shop.

Once they were out she smoothed her hair and said, "Sorry. Angelina came by the house looking for George. He told her he would be fine at the Burrow and he told us he wanted to stay at the shop. So I went with her to the shop and once they started arguing I waited at the stairs. I had to make sure it worked."

Harry wasn't sure where they were going, or if they were going any where in particular. "So… I guess they're together now?"

Ginny smiled and said, "Well, yes, they have been for a while now. They started dating after Angelina graduated."

Harry was completely shocked. Why hadn't he heard of this before? "What? Was it a secret? I had no idea…"

Ginny giggled and said, "No offense, you are one of the most selfless people I know when it comes to a lot of things, Harry, but I'm not really surprised you never knew. It wasn't a secret but George didn't want to make a big deal of it because he knew Mum would hover over them if she knew. Plus they took it really slow because they were both busy, then broke up for a while, then got back together after Bill's wedding."

"Why did they break up?" Harry asked, forgetting the reason why he had come to find Ginny in the first place.

Ginny shrugged and said, "George said it was mutual. So, basically, George was too busy with the shop and trying to make any contribution whatsoever to the Order to work at a relationship and Angelina was annoyed that he didn't know how to manage a relationship and was probably too busy herself. I mean, Fred and George were busy getting the shop up and running and Angelina was trying to find a job and was moving in with Alicia, who I'm sure wasn't the best influence when it comes to guys and dealing with relationships. I'm starting to think her and Fred really were perfect for each other…"

Ginny stopped talking then and Harry tentatively asked, "Oh… were they together?"

Ginny shrugged a little and said, "Sort of. They were dating, again, recently. From what Fred and George said, it wasn't serious. Neither Fred nor Alicia are serious relationships type of people."

Harry nodded, unsure of what to say now. Ginny looked up at him, managing a smile, and said, "How was your meeting? Should you be referred to as 'Minister Potter' now?"

"No, no. Never. But, uh, maybe 'Auror Potter'," he said, looking at her hesitantly from under the long fringe covering his eyes a little. He wanted her to be in a really good mood for this, and instead she was already sad.

Ginny stopped walking and Harry grew worried. "Wow, really? Just… starting now?"

Harry shook his head and said, "Starting after the funerals. Kingsley needs the help to find the Death Eaters left while the Ministry gets back in order. We can skip NEWTs. He asked Ron, Hermione, Neville, and me. Hermione's not doing it, though."

Ginny nodded, looking as if she was processing this information. "So… you wouldn't be coming back to school would you?"

"Uh," Harry said, nervously. "No. If I did this I wouldn't be going back. I don't have to do it though. I could finish school and apply. I know I promised I wouldn't just leave again."

"You promised you would talk to me about the big stuff first. You're doing that right now. Don't worry, you're making good on the promise. You don't want to go back to Hogwarts, do you? Be honest," she said, looking serious.

"I… no, not really. It would just not be the same," he admitted.

Ginny managed another smile and said, "You should go and do it then." Harry looked as if he was going to give some protest and she shook her head. "No, you should. Don't hold yourself back because I have another year. I would be pissed if you held me back from my dream job, and you should feel the same way if I held you back from this. It's the only thing you've ever talked about doing, Harry."

Harry's mind raced. He didn't want to have to relive this past year. He knew it wouldn't be as bad, but he still didn't want that. "Well, maybe you could do it, too. You're just as capable. I don't even know why Kingsley didn't ask you…"

Ginny interrupted then as she squeezed his hand. "Harry, I'm still underage until August. Like Hermione, I don't want to be an Auror. I need this last year at Hogwarts."

Harry looked confused. She hadn't decided yet on what she wanted to do when they were dating last year. "Wait, you decided then?"

Ginny smiled a real smile and said, "Yup. I want to play Quidditch. Not being able to this year made me realize how much I loved it and how I want to make a career out of it. I'm going to be rusty though, so I need this year to get back to it so I can try out after I graduate."

Harry smiled, gave her a big kiss, and said, "That's great! You'll be brilliant!"

Ginny giggled and wrapped her arms around him, completely forgetting they were in the street of Diagon Alley. "You think so?"

Harry leaned in and said, "I think I would know. I was your captain one year."

Ginny smiled and said "Oh, that's very true…" before kissing him.

He pulled away as he noticed some people gawking. Harry blushed and said, "We have an audience."

"You did just kill the most evil wizard there has ever been two days ago," Ginny said as she pulled back as well.

"Technically, yesterday morning," Harry said with a sigh as he noticed more people staring and pointing. He had almost forgotten about the publicity. He figured it would be worse now. "Come on," he said, taking Ginny's hand again and trying to make his way back to the Leaky Cauldron so they could floo back to the Burrow. After all, Ginny wasn't yet old enough to Apparate.

They were soon stopped by several people that looked like reporters, one of which had a camera. Harry tried to cover his eyes as the flashes went off.

"Mr. Potter, is it true you died and came back to life?" "Mr. Potter, what are you going to do now?" "Mr. Potter, how does it feel now that you're not on the run?" "Mr. Potter, is this your latest conquest?"

"My what?" Harry asked, finally responding to the bombardment of questions.

Of course it would be Rita Skeeter. "Didn't you have a whole string of girls at your beck and call?" All the other reporters were quickly scribbling on their own notepads.

"What? No!" Harry said, shocked. He looked at Ginny as they kept trying to push through as more people were walking over to them and said, "I didn't, I swear."

Ginny rolled her eyes and gave a hard push to make a way through for them. "Oh, shove off!" Ginny said to Rita Skeeter.

Skeeter smiled and said, "Not exactly a lady for the war hero, is she?"

Harry turned back to Skeeter again, angry this time, as the reporters were scribbling away.

"Come on, Harry. It's not worth it," Ginny said, tugging on his hand.

Harry nodded and turned back to Ginny and said, "Side-along, then?"

Ginny looked slightly concerned for a moment before the flash of fear went away. "Sure. You can handle it."

"Course," Harry said, nodding and hoping he would. The Leaky Cauldron was three stores away and they might never make it there. He held tightly to Ginny's hand and held on to her other arm as he quickly thought of the Burrow, and with a crack they were gone.

However, Diagon Alley was not the only place where there was a mass of people looking for him.

"Ow!" Ginny yelled as she landed on someone. She quickly scrambled up to see she had landed on a reporter. Harry had the same crash landing and had received and elbow to his side before he was able to get back on his feet. All the people around him were suddenly asking him a myriad of questions.

"Mum and Dad must have put some sort of shield up to keep these gits at bay," Ginny said, hands on her hips.

"What was that, miss?" one reporter asked. Ginny rolled her eyes and ignored him. She grabbed Harry's hand and with her help he was able to push himself out of the barricade of people he had found himself in.

"Ok…" Ginny said as she thought. "Ok, just hold onto my hand and if they used the old password, we should be able to get through." There was a pause and suddenly Harry felt the force pushing him away from the Burrow disappear.

The two began to trudge up the rest of the hill to the Burrow. Now that they were not surrounded by people, Ginny said, "So… a string of girls?"

Harry blanched and tried to say in a lighthearted tone, "Oh… come on. I didn't have time for that. Not that I wanted that. I didn't. I… uh, it's not true."

Ginny giggled and wrapped an arm around his waist. "I'm just messing with you, Harry."


	12. The Philanderer

"I'm surprised you even had robes for this," Ginny said, arms crossed as she leaned in the doorway.

Harry nodded and said, "They're from Bill and Fleur's wedding."

Ginny walked in with a smirk and said, "I guess I wouldn't remember them since you didn't even talk to me that night, even though you were in disguise."

Harry tried to flatten his hair to no avail. "I told you I was sorry," he said, becoming frustrated with his hair. You shouldn't have messy hair at a funeral.

"Leave it," Ginny said, walking up and giving him a hug. "I like it that way."

He smiled a bit smugly, leaned in, and said, "Really?"

She raised an eyebrow and said, "I've told you that plenty times before. Don't tell me you've forgotten everything from when we dated the first time."

"Definitely not_ everything_," Harry said, his arms wrapping around her and his lips finding her neck.

"ARGH, this is my room! Do you have to do that here?" Ron said as he entered his room.

Harry groaned a little as he pulled away from Ginny. "Erm, yeah, sorry mate."

Ron handed Harry a rolled up Daily Prophet and said, "Yeah, well if you two didn't snog every five minutes maybe Mum wouldn't be having a hypogriff downstairs right now."

The front page had a rather large picture of Harry and Ginny walking hand in hand before Harry stops, smiling broadly, and kisses her. The title read "War Hero Spotted in Diagon Alley."

Ginny rolled her eyes and said, "What's the big deal? It's barely even a kiss. It's annoying but nothing for mum to freak out about. Look! The entire article is about other people's accounts of the battle and what 'sources' have said Harry will do next."

Ron rubbed between his eyes and said, "Open it to Skeeter's section."

Harry felt his stomach plummet. Nothing good could come from that article.

Ginny flipped the pages until she found the article. Her eyes widened to the picture of the two snogging in the middle of Diagon Alley. "Oh shite…"

**_War Hero Claims First Prize!_**

_War Hero, Chosen One, Savior, and Boy-Who-Lived Harry Potter might have earned new titles "Philanderer," "Playboy," and maybe even "Womanizer." Funerals have not begun and the man-who-lived_ ("She's on a roll with giving you new nicknames…" Ginny said as she continued to read.) _was spotted not at the Ministry doing civic duty or at Hogwarts helping with clean-up, but snogging a younger redhead in the middle of Diagon Alley. Sources say this underage redhead is his best friend's little sister, so Hogwarts mothers better watch out for their daughters!_

_It has been well-known that Harry Potter has an insatiable appetite for women. While he was a Tri-Wizard champion he dated his "best friend" Hermione Granger, tried to take both Parvati and Padma Patil to the Yule Ball (he ended up just taking fellow Gryffindor Parvati), had a fling with Fleur Weasley née Delacour and reportedly had a rendezvous in the Prefects' lavatory with a mystery prefect. From there he continued his on-again off-again relationship with Granger, dated the fallen Tri-Wizard Champion Cedric Diggory's ex-girlfriend Cho Chang almost immediately after Diggory's death (which Potter claims he witnessed), and was linked to strange but ethereal Ravenclaw Luna Lovegood. Sources say he had flings with a string of women during this past year of absence. A new town, a new girl._

_His newest conquest was quite smitten with the "boy-who-lived" all throughout school. _

_"Everyone knew little Ginny Weasley had a crush on Harry. She loved all of his fame! She even wrote a little singing Valentine for him that talked about his looks and how he vanquished He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. It's obvious she only cares about his looks and fame," said Lavender Brown, a former classmate of Potter's._

_Some could say this "crush" was more of an obsession. She tried everything to get closer to him. She used her brother, befriended Granger, joined Potter's vigilante group "Dumbledore's Army," and tried out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. If I were Potter, I would be worried that his latest fling won't be so easy to leave. Potter's philandering might have caught up with him by shagging his best mate's baby sister. _("We're not shagging!" Harry quickly said to Ron's accusatory look.)_ I hear she is even using her brother's death to get sympathy from him so he'll stay with her longer than his usual flings. Gold digger, anyone? _

_Her family has recently become respected again in the days after the war, but they are still known for living in, let's just say, less than desirable circumstances. But is this a story of a poor, plain __girl who luckily snagged the wealthy hero and, I__ can guess, __soon to be most sought after bachelor in Wizarding England in a love that is blind to money and circumstances or... is it instead a story of an obsessed girl who used large amounts of the love potion her brothers sold at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to enchant the Chosen One? You know I w__ill find out, but after seeing the rude behavior she displayed in Diagon Alley, I'm placing my bet on the latter. How else can you explain how the strapping, wealthy, but war-rattled young man is seen snogging __an unglamorous and short-tempered young girl in public __when he has always tried to keep his many, many relationships hidden?_

_"Harry has never had a long-term relationship. He probably knows he can have whoever he wants now. He's not going to stick around with her," Parvati Patil said. _

_Let's hope Patil is right and Potter's womanizing days don't catch up with him__, both for Potter and all of our readers who want to be the next on his list. _

Ginny threw the paper down and just said "She's completely mental" before storming off.

"Gin!" Harry said as he began to follow her. He turned to Ron and snapped at him. "Why'd you have to show her that today?" He then followed Ginny into her room. Hermione was in the bathroom trying to tame her curls, but when she saw how angry Ginny looked and how Harry obviously had hurried into her room, Hermione decided she could mess with her hair elsewhere.

"Gin… I'm sorry. I'm not even used to it. I didn't think they would talk about us. Don't know why I didn't… but I didn't," Harry said, hands in pockets, as he walked over to her.

Ginny sighed and said, "I know she's winning by letting myself get worked up but Merlin, how does she even still have a job?"

Harry hated this. These things were said about her in a very public newspaper, all because she was dating him. He didn't doubt even more nasty things would be said in the future. He sighed and said, "You didn't sign up for this. They'll keep doing it, Skeeter especially. I guess the publicity will be even worse now that the war is over. I understand if-"

Ginny rounded on him and said, "Oh, no you don't. No, we're not going to let it affect us. We know the truth and our friends know the truth and that's all that matters, right? I'm not going to stop dating you because of lies in a paper. Plenty of lies have been said about you and it never changed how I thought of you, why would I let the lies about me do it?"

She had her hands on her hips and still looked pretty upset.

"I guess that's the right way to look at it," he said, shuffling his feet. He then walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. She slid her hand up his back and rested her head on his chest. "Is it just the article bothering you?" he asked. He felt her head shake against him. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked quietly as he kissed the top of her head.

She nodded and said, "Yup. It's… it's just going to be a long day."

Harry didn't want to leave that spot. Leaving it meant they had to go to Fred's funeral. Tomorrow he would be going to Lupin's, Tonks's and Colin's funerals. In a few days, he wouldn't be able to be here with Ginny because he would be off finding Death Eaters. The relief of the war being over began to vanish as he noticed the time.

"We've gotta go, Gin," Harry said.

All Ginny did was nod and pull away. She took his hand, though, and led him out the door. They nearly ran into Ron and Hermione in the hallway, looking just as grim.

_Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews! They help keep me on track and getting back into the swing of updating. The next chapter will be from the R/HR viewpoint, hope you'll like it!_


	13. A Little Serious

Ron's eyes flickered toward Harry's and Ginny's for a brief moment before looking straight ahead again. He was trying to hold it together, and it was working better than he thought.

He mostly felt numb. This entire funeral was surreal. He didn't think it would really sink in that Fred was gone until they had more family dinners, until George tried to crack jokes again, or until they had to go through a holiday with one less Weasley.

He inhaled deeply then and felt as Hermione squeezed his hand. Under normal circumstances he might be a little embarrassed to be holding hands with his new girlfriend with his parents mere seats away. Instead he felt an urge to relax as she squeezed his hand or rested her head against his shoulder.

Ron stared ahead as eulogies were spoken and tears were shed. He stared ahead as Ginny nearly broke and Harry wrapped an arm around her. He stared ahead but trembled at the sound of his mother trying to keep it together. He had to be strong for them. He had to.

He continued to go through the motions, not knowing where the day went until he found himself in Ginny's room as Hermione packed. At some point in time Hermione noticed he wasn't fond of hearing people give their sympathies after the funeral, and so she shooed him away and up to Ginny's room.

"Why are you packing?" he asked. "Did Kingsley already send us an assignment?" Great. He wasn't even an auror yet and he was falling down on the job.

"No, no. I have to go find my parents, remember? I probably won't be with the three of you the first week or so. It might be longer, but I'm hoping it will only be a week," she said as she delicately folded her clothes.

That woke Ron up out of his reverie. "Wait, you'll be gone for more than a week? You can't go by yourself." He was sure there were rogue Death Eaters out there who would love to kill Hermione.

"I'm perfectly able to take care of myself, Ronald. I think my defensive skills are more than adequate," she said with an arched brow, trying not to get angry.

"I didn't mean it like that, 'Mione," he said, and she softened. For some reason she hated when anyone called her that except for him. "I just… Well it's better than just one going. You might need some help." He paused before saying, "I'll go with you."

She shook her head and said, "That's very nice of you Ron but you can't. You should help Kingsley. Harry will probably need you and I'll be fine. I'll find my parents and be back in time to participate in an entire summer of apprehending Death Eaters."

"Harry will have Neville. I…" he stopped, as if debating what to say. "I don't want you to go without me. It's like… we just figured this out… well, sorta. I was such a git about leaving this year and I don't want you to go by yourself. I don't want to really wonder if you're okay again. Not right now." He was a bit embarrassed to seem so weak, but he knew that if he were to be truthful to anyone about it Hermione was the one he could say it to. "I need you, Hermione."

She smiled fondly at him and walked over. She sat down next to him on Ginny's bed and cupped his cheek. "I don't really want to be without you either." She bit her lip with a bit of a smile and said, "All right, let's both go." He smiled broadly and it warmed her to see his smile again. She quickly leaned in and kissed him.

This was what he needed. He needed to feel some sort of feeling other than numbness and remorse. He needed to be able to feel a good feeling again. He placed one hand at the small of her back and the other in her hair, messing up her neat bun she had managed for the funeral. Soon enough she was sitting in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him and moaned softly as his hand slid up her leg and under her skirt. She felt that they always began getting carried away when they snogged. She blamed the passion on years of pent-up feelings, although she wouldn't complain.

His kisses moved from her lips and she tilted her head so that he could get better access to her neck when Hermione suddenly heard a "Sick! Sick!"

Hermione gasped and turned to see Ginny covering her eyes. "Ew, Ron get your hand out of her skirt. Ugh, on my bed. Really?"

Ron quickly kept his hands to himself and blushed furiously. Hermione hopped off of him with a bit of a squeek. "Oh, sorry, Ginny. We got a bit carried away, I suppose," Hermione said.

Ron furrowed his brow and said, "Hey, we don't have to apologize. I've seen Ginny snog someone plenty of times."

Ginny put her hands on her hips and said, "Yeah, but you never saw Harry or Dean's hand practically in my knickers while we were on _your_ bed? Did you?"

Ron blushed again and stood up. That image was not one he wanted floating in his mind now. "I better go pack."

Ginny crossed her arms and watched as he walked out. She looked at Hermione and said, "What is he packing for?" She really hoped Kingsley wasn't already sending them off somewhere. She didn't want Harry to leave so quickly.

Hermione smiled and looked down. "He's coming with me to find my parents."

Ginny looked a bit shocked at first but then smiled. "That's great," she said, sitting next to Hermione. She then chewed on the inside of her lip and said, "So how are we going to deal with this? You being with Ron and me being with Harry again?"

"You mean how are we going to be able to talk about it when each of us sees the other's boyfriend as a brother?" she asked. She then sighed and said, "I don't know. I guess we can just leave out the physical parts."

"Or if we really really need to talk about it, I mean if something big happens we can just be… discreet? Not too many details? Use a different name?" Ginny said, laughing a bit at how foolish using a different name sounded.

Hermione smiled and said, "We will just have to see if that works."

Ginny nodded with a smile and said, "Going with you to find your parents. That's a little serious."

Hermione raised an eyebrow and said, "Consulting you before making a major life choice. That's a little serious."

Ginny nodded and looked down. "I know, it's weird. But good, of course." She sighed and sat back against the bed. "But then he's going to go about saving the world again as I try to pick up the pieces here at home. Mum's a mess, Dad doesn't know what to do… thank Merlin Bill has Fleur and George has Angelina and Ron has you and even Percy has his girlfriend."

"You have Harry," Hermione said, wanting to reassure her friend. "You do. Besides, you said you wanted time to brush up on Quidditch didn't you? Now you will."

"Since when has Quidditch been a good thing to you?" Ginny asked with a smirk.

Hermione huffed and said, "Honestly I don't understand why you all have to make such a big deal if I say anything positive about Quidditch. I might not understand why it is so amazing but I was never negative about it."

Ginny smiled and said, "Never that negative." She then paused before saying, "You dodged what I said earlier. You and Ron… getting a little serious…"

Hermione blushed as she returned to packing. "It's only been a few days."

"Yeah, uh, but it was years in the making," Ginny retorted with a snort.

"I suppose so," Hermione said, giving Ginny a knowing look before closing her trunk. "Well, that ought to do it."

Ginny stared at Hermione with a bit of a I-told-you-so-grin, very similar to the one Hermione had after the Quidditch Cup final last year, and said as she stood up, "I always wanted a sister."

Hermione blushed again and said, "Well, you already have one then with Fleur."

Ginny looked as if she took that comment thoughtfully before saying, "Yes, but we're not close so that only sorta counts. You, however, will fully count!"

Hermione reached out to poke or pinch Ginny to get her back, but Ginny's reflexes were faster and she jumped away with a laugh. "What? Didn't you always want five brothers?"

For a second there the smile hung on her face before it dropped. She looked mildly embarrassed. "Four, of course," she said. Hermione looked sadly at her friend. Ginny tried to put on a strong face as she mustered a smile and said, "I think I'll go fly for a bit. You'll probably want to watch what Ron packs anyway."

With that she smoothed her hair, already back up in a ponytail, and exited her room. Hermione sat on the bed, her heart breaking for the Weasley family once again.

_Author's Note:_ _Sorry it took so long for an update! I was on a roll with History Repeats Itself and then school started!_


	14. Return to Godric's Hollow

Harry already changed out of his black dress robes, and now he was lounging in the living room reading a letter he received that day. It was from Andromeda Tonks. She was letting him know that in Lupin's will he had requested to be buried in the Godric's Hollow graveyard near James and Lily. Tonks had requested to be buried with her husband. Both requested Harry Potter as Teddy's godfather.

Harry felt his lungs constrict and it was hard to breathe. He hadn't even met Teddy before, and now he was godfather? He had agreed to be godfather, but he didn't think it would come up so soon. He didn't know anything about taking care of kids. He knew what it was like losing both parents, but he didn't see how that could help because he knew nothing could ever replace it. Nothing makes it stop hurting. He was sure he would be reminded of that as he watched another father figure be buried, this time right next to his parents. He made a mental note to put a memorial for Sirius in the same area.

He wasn't sure if he could handle it. It was hard enough at Dumbledore and Fred's funerals. At least with Fred he had felt the need to protect Ginny and be strong for her, and it kept him from feeling very much emotion. The only time he had seen his parents' graves he had cried and felt like he lost control. He knew it would take every ounce of strength he had to try and keep it together seeing their graves, Lupin and Tonks's graves, and orphaned Teddy all at one time.

He sighed and leaned back on the sofa, rubbing his eyes with the bottom of his palms. He was going to be completely drained by the time he started helping Kingsley. He looked out the window to the Weasleys' back yard. Earlier in the day people gathered inside and outside the house to pay their respects. Last year it had held a large wedding. The summer before that he had begun to really know and fancy Ginny in that backyard. He felt what it was like to be a family for the first time in this house and that backyard.

He stared out for a moment longer before noticing someone flying. It took him stepping outside to realize it was Ginny. He summoned his Firebolt and walked out to join her. A fly would be very good right then.

Ginny acknowledged Harry when he went up to fly, but other than that they did their own thing. They each had their own issues to deal with and work through. Harry wasn't sure how long they were up there before Ginny sharply dove and landed. Harry flew down after her and tentatively walked up to her. She looked upset.

"Gin, are you all right?" he said quietly. She was still in her robes from the funeral, which must have been a bit interesting to fly in.

She put one hand on her hip and the other on her forehead. "Yeah.. it's just, it's so unfair, you know?"

She sighed and Harry enveloped her in a hug. She took deep breaths as she leaned into him. She finally looked up, resting her chin on his chest and said, "You don't look exactly content, either. Something besides just today wrong?"

He let go of her and took her hand so they could walk by the pond. "I was just thinking about Lupin and Tonks's funeral tomorrow."

Ginny merely sighed in response. She and Tonks appeared to be rather close whenever they were at Grimmauld Place together. She regarded Tonks as a big sister or cool younger aunt.

"It's, er, in Godric's Hollow," Harry said, knowing he was failing at masking his emotions.

Ginny looked back up at that. "Lupin requested it," Harry continued.

Ginny couldn't imagine what it would be like to watch someone else you cared about being buried next to your parents. She gave his hand a squeeze and mustered a smile. "Well, I'll be here for you. Just like you were there for me today," she said softly and Harry squeezed her hand back in response. During the funeral the weight of Fred's death really hit her, and Ginny felt as if she would collapse under it. Just as she felt as if she couldn't take more, Harry had wrapped his arm around her. It kept her sitting upright and helped her calm down.

It was an offer he ended up having to accept. Ginny's fingers intertwined with his as he stared at the two new white marble slabs next to his parents' stones. He listened as people spoke of Lupin's and Tonks's bravery and character. He glanced at Ginny as she gently prodded him for his turn. He reluctantly stood up to face the small crowd who had gathered.

"I might have met Remus Lupin as a baby, but the first time I really met him was on the Hogwarts Express. It was by chance that my friends and I had joined him in the compartment. When I met this shabby-looking, quiet man who offered chocolate after a run-in with Dementors, I had no idea he had been best mates with my parents or that he would end up being my favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

I've said that I'm here today because of luck and other people more than from I own doing. Well, he's a big reason why I survived. Yes, he taught me some more advanced magic but there were other things he taught me. He also taught me the dangers of people being close-minded. He taught me about loyalty to friends. When he found out I was sneaking out to Hogsmeade when we all thought Sirius was after me, he reminded me that… that my parents made a great sacrifice for me, and being reckless like that was a poor way of using that gift. He wanted to make a sacrifice for Tonks by keeping them apart. He thought it would be easier for her, and well, we knew how well Tonks took that." Harry smiled a bit at that. "He had two close friends die and saw what it was like for me, and even though people treated him pretty horribly for a condition that… that he didn't choose and that he took really big precautions to control… he still fought in this war. He still fought for our side. He had every right to keep out of it or even to fight on the dark side out of anger. But he didn't. So he also taught me that sometimes you are going to have to make sacrifices, and sometimes people aren't going to appreciate it, and even when you're fighting for people who might think you're mad or dangerous or just don't appreciate what you're doing, if you're fighting for good, it's worth it. When Tonks got pregnant he knew the dangers and it even made him weak for a moment." Harry paused, and a slight look of guilt crossed his face, making Ginny look over to Ron and Hermione, who seemed to both know what Harry was talking about. "But he didn't give up. Dumbledore once told Hogwarts that you have to choose between doing what is right, and what is easy. Remus didn't choose the easy path. Unfortunately," Harry coughed then, trying to keep composure, "unfortunately, the dangers were too great, for both of them. You might wonder why they didn't sit this one out. Teddy's not even a month old. They had an excuse. But Lupin went to fight and Tonks wasn't about to sit back and wait for the news." He glanced at Ginny, who smiled through watery eyes and nodded. "They did it for Teddy just as my parents made their sacrifice for me. They took the hard path, the right path, so Teddy…" Harry suddenly was reliving the moments before he himself 'died' and it was becoming increasingly hard to keep it together. His eyes were watering and his voice was a little shaky, but he continued on. "So Teddy could be in a world without Voldemort and Death Eaters. So he could live a happier life. It will be hard for Teddy sometimes, but… the sacrifice won't be in vain. They were brave for fighting all of these years. They were braver for taking that chance of making a world that was better for Teddy, knowing they probably wouldn't be there to see him in it."

Harry glanced at the four white tombstones and said, "Thank you, Remus Lupin, for being a loyal friend to my mum and dad. Thank you for teaching me, protecting me. I promise… I promise to do my very best for Teddy. Thank you for giving me the strength to carry on, to make the hardest decision, until the very end." He looked back out at the crowd again, which didn't help matters when he saw a stoic Andromeda holding a very small Teddy Lupin. He glanced back at the tombstone again before looking at the mourners, and Ginny, as well as many others, looked surprised as he smiled. "In the end Misters Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs all died for the right cause, all died in battle." He looked towards the tombstones, where he knew Sirius would soon also have his own stone, and said, "Mischief managed."

He then returned to his seat, and was grateful for the watery smile he received from Ginny and Hermione and the nod from Ron. Ginny quickly took his hand and rested her free hand on his arm. He took deep breaths as the funeral continued on.

It was his turn to hear sympathies. As people paid their respects, he wished that he had taken time to know both Remus and Sirius better when he had the chance. He hadn't asked to hear enough stories from their years at Hogwarts. He still knew so little of his parents.

Then there was the part he dreaded almost as much as having to speak, meeting Teddy. It wasn't that he was upset that he was godfather. He just knew it would be painful. It had to be even more painful for Andromeda.

"That was a very nice speech you made for Remus," Andromeda said as Harry approached her.

Harry felt a little uncomfortable as he thanked her and he noticed a bit of a smirk appear on her face. It was a little creepy the resemblance she had to Bellatrix.

"You should have more confidence in yourself, Harry. I know you did have help along the way, but you're strong. Not many people would carry on or make some of the decisions you made. People will be looking to you as a leader even more now. You're going to have to embrace it," she said with a comforting tone.

Harry nodded, still feeling uncomfortable. "I guess I'm going to have to get used to it," he said, not sounding like he was used to it at all.

She smiled and said, "Well, do you want to meet your godson?"

Harry looked wide-eyed as Andromeda began to place the small baby in Harry's arms. Harry was worried he would drop Teddy, or hold him all wrong. "That's it," Andromeda said, helping him position his arms once Harry was holding Teddy.

Harry had never held a baby before, and he watched as Teddy squirmed in his arms. There was a slight pang in Harry's chest as he looked at him. Teddy had brown eyes that just had to be Lupin's. He couldn't tell whose nose he had. He was still too small to really be able to tell who he looked like, but his hair was currently purple.

Harry watched Teddy as he blinked and squirmed. He stuck out his tongue a few times as he stared right back at Harry.

Then Harry smiled. "Hey Teddy. I'm Harry. I'm your goddad."

Hermione was talking lowly to Ron when she noticed Harry holding Teddy. She smiled and poked Ginny, who had been talking to her mother. Ginny turned and Hermione nodded with a smile in the direction of Harry. Ron turned to look as well.

Ginny smiled as Harry picked up one of Teddy's hand with one finger. He was marveling at just how small he really was, and Ginny almost wanted to laugh before returning to conversation with her mother.

"You haven't said you were sorry yet," Andromeda said with a knowing look.

"Oh, er, sorry. I should have-" Harry started, but Andromeda quickly interrupted him.

"No. It's why they chose you to be his godfather. You'll understand what Teddy's feeling and needs. You understand that saying 'I'm sorry' doesn't help the situation,"

Harry held Teddy for a while longer as he talked to Andromeda. She let him know that she fully intended on taking care of Teddy. She liked Harry, but he wasn't exactly ready to take care of a baby, and Harry was grateful. She invited him to visit whenever he wanted to though.

After giving Teddy back to his grandmother he walked over to his parents' graves, right next to the fresh ones of Lupin and Tonks. He stood there for a moment, wishing his dress robes weren't so heavy in the summer sun, before looking back toward the rest of Godric's Hollow.

He was out of the graveyard and already walking up the road before he realized that Ginny had followed him out.

"Where are you going, Harry?" Ginny asked, sounding concerned.

"I just… I have to see it again. I think I'm ready now," he said as he walked determinedly.

She wasn't completely sure what he was talking about until she saw the ruined old house. She had never seen it in person before. She had asked her parents a million times, but her mother always insisted that she was too young, all of the Weasley children were too young, to see something like that. Ginny always wondered if her mother hated reminders of the first war because of her brothers who had died.

Harry stopped at the sign that memorialized the site, the messages still visible. He was surprised that it looked like new messages had been added since Christmas.

When Harry looked up to the house Ginny grabbed his arm. Ron and Hermione had just caught up with them, and Ron looked at the house the same way Ginny did: not in total surprise (he had also seen it in pictures in the newspaper when he was younger), but in a bit of wonderment.

Harry looked at the other three. At Christmastime it had been too overwhelming. He thought he was going to suffocate as he saw their old house and saw his parents' graves. As Ginny soothingly ran a hand up and down his arm and Ron and Hermione stood with him, he felt like he could handle it.

"Come on," he said, as he pushed at the gate to make his way through.

"We can't," Ron and Ginny said in unison.

Hermione and Harry turned to look at them, surprised.

"It's got some sort of strong magic on it," Ron said in explanation.

"No one can get in. I guess they wanted to make sure Death Eaters didn't damage it. I don't know what is on it but you can't get in, you can't apparate in, you can't set it on fire or throw something at it… it's impenetrable," Ginny said and Hermione looked both surprised at the information and that she hadn't already known that.

Harry was a little annoyed. This house was technically his, wasn't it? He was glad no one could have damaged it over the years… but he had to see it now. Now that it was all done, he felt the need to see it for some closure.

He stared at the house for a minute before pushing at the gate again. He couldn't tell if it wouldn't swing from age or from magic, but after more jiggling and pushing, he managed to get it open. Harry took a few steps into the front yard.

He looked back at the other three and said, "Maybe now that Voldemort's gone, the spell's gone."

Ginny, who had been closest to Harry, tried to take a step forward. She couldn't pass through the gate.

"Harry," Hermione said tentatively, "I think only you can. Maybe… maybe only a Potter can." That sort of magic seemed very interesting to Hermione, and she looked to be contemplating it.

It had already been a long day that had tugged at his emotions. He wasn't sure if he could do it alone.

"Here, take my hand. Let's see if it works," Harry said, holding his hand out to Ginny. She took it, and was easily able to walk through whatever magical barrier was there. She reached behind her to Hermione, who in turn grabbed Ron's hand.

Harry heard as Ron muttered something in amazement as the four walked through the yard and up to the front door.

"Are you sure about this, Harry?" Ginny asked as he stared at the front door.

He nodded and took a deep breath. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure."

The four entered the house and felt an odd sort of tugging feeling as they did. Hermione couldn't hold back her gasp as they looked inside the house that looked as if it hadn't been touched since Halloween 1981. There were decorations still up, although the paper streamers hung limply from the ceiling.

Ginny bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from getting emotional. There were pictures of the dead smiling and sometimes even waving back at them. She took a deep breath and said, "Why is it in such a condition? It's been almost seventeen years…"

Hermione scanned the room and said, "Well, the sign said the house was kept as it was that night in… in remembrance. Maybe there's a spell to keep the house strong, to keep age and termites from getting to the house."

That made sense to Harry. The wallpaper still stuck to the house and the stairs looked like they were in good condition.

Ron tried to pick up one of the frames, but it wouldn't move. "I guess there's sticking charms on it, too."

Harry walked over and tried to pick up the same frame, with success. He stared at the picture of his dad, clad in a Quidditch uniform, tried to kiss the cheek of his mum, who was laughing and pushing him off. It made him get choked up and he had to put the frame back down.

Ginny placed her hand back in his and he gave it a squeeze before looking around the foyer and over to the stairs. His dad died somewhere in this area, and yet nothing looked wrong with the area. "You wouldn't even be able to tell anything happened here," he said quietly.

The other three didn't know what to say, and so they didn't say anything at all. Harry was a bit grateful for it. He needed them there with him, but he always wanted to be free to take it all in and stay in his thoughts. Soon they began walking through the bottom floor. The living room had more Halloween decorations and pictures and knickknacks to show that people once lived there.  
On a small table was a quill next to an empty ink pot. A crinkled piece of paper was on the floor next to the overturned chair. Harry opened it up to see it was a letter to Sirius in his mother's handwriting, and it looked like there were water spots on it. He guessed that maybe she was writing a letter when his dad alerted her that Voldemort was coming judging from the overturn chair and half-written letter. Maybe that's why she couldn't get Harry and Apparate away before Voldemort made it up to his room. She had been downstairs. Maybe she had just been writing it earlier that night and just hadn't gotten to finish it. It was light-hearted and about their Halloween celebrations. He didn't see a reason for the watered spots. Of course Hagrid and Sirius had both been at the house after Voldemort attacked, so maybe one of them had seen the letter and it was too much right after their deaths.

Harry felt the suffocating feeling again and pocketed the letter. Every once in a while he took a picture out of a frame to pocket it. Sometimes it was for him, and sometimes when the pictures were of the Marauders it was for him and Teddy.

Harry ran a hand over his high stool as he walked through the kitchen. He noticed clean plates resting on a countertop next to a hand towel. There were more pictures of a life that he didn't remember, of people he only spoke to in ghostly reappearances.

When he made his way back to the stairs, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all looked at him apprehensively.

"Harry… are you sure you want to go up there?" Ginny said, almost as a warning. He had choked up during Remus's funeral and she noticed it a few times in the house. She wasn't sure how he would handle seeing where the curse backfired.

"Yeah, yeah I'll be ok," he said, trying to reassure himself as much as the others.

He slowly walked up the stairs to the first bedroom. His bedroom. He could already see the damage.

When he walked in he noticed out of his peripheral vision Hermione turn into Ron. Ginny was gripping Harry's hand again.

The crib was overturned with scorch marks all over it. The ceiling and one of the walls was most blown off, revealing the sky and the bathroom next to Harry's room.

Harry could feel the emotion return and he let it. Tears began to fall, but they were silent. He could see the green light, hear the scream, and know it happened about where he was standing. He stood there for moments longer before having to leave the room and explore other areas of the house.

There were a lot of personal items still in the house, and he knew that he would gradually want to take more and more. He thought he could really move on from the past now, but he would like to have some things of his parents.

As they left the house Harry felt closure. The past seemed more real, and he truly felt he could move on from it. He knew that he had to as he walked back to the funeral of the last marauder with Ginny by his side and his two best friends set for their journey to Australia.

_Author's note: Well that was a longer one for me! I hope it set well for all of you. I always thought it was a bit surprising how little personal items were in Harry's possession. And to clear up some confusion from the last chapter... Ginny had 6 brothers which is now 5, and considering Ron is one Hermione would only consider 4 of them to be brothers. _


	15. Interlude: George and Angelina

Angelina leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, a smirk on her face. George Weasley looked rather innocent when he was asleep. After their talking to the day after the final battle,George had been doing much better. She had managed to keep him away from alcohol and he had managed not to sink into a depression.

Her smirk turned into a smile as she began to reminisce.

It all started in her 5th year, really. She managed to deny the crush for a while before Alicia called her out on it. Angelina found herself attracted to his looks and humor, but also the bits that were uniquely George. She honestly didn't know how other people couldn't figure out the two were different. George's smile was different. He cared about school more and if you saw a twin studying (which rarely occurred), it must be George. Fred came up with a lot of the ideas, but George could put them into affect. Fred was far more likely to take advantage of the secret passageways they knew to snog girls than George. She also thought Fred could hit a bludger harder, but George had better aim.

It was this ability to pick out George that gave her away to Alicia.

In 6th year her ability faltered. Fred had asked her to the Yule Ball, and while she would have said yes anyways, she appeared much more excited because for an instant there she thought it was George. She had a wonderful time with Fred _and_ George, and she had no idea Fred had picked her so that he could save George from watching her go with someone else. She ended up dancing with George as much if not more than Fred.

The day after the Quidditch ban, things changed. Angelina was in Gryffindor's locker room, pondering how they could salvage the rest of the season.

"I'm sorry, Ange," George said, breaking her out of her reverie. She looked back to see George near the entrance, a rarely seen look of guilt on his face.

She sighed and went back to resting her chin on her knees, which were pulled up to her chest. "It's not as if you knew Umbridge would be that harsh, and he did say something about you mother."

George didn't know what to say. Angelina was one of his best friends and he had seen her happy and he had seen her angry, but he didn't know how to deal with her pouting.

"It's just school Quidditch, right? Not the end of the world…." She said, trying to reassure herself more than George.

George tentatively walked over and sat down next to her on a bench. Damn her for being moody and still looking smashing. Of course, George was a bit biased because he thought she always looked smashing.

"Don't let Wood know you think that. He might disown you," George said, and his heart leapt when she laughed.

"Oh, Merlin. Oliver would strip me of my captain title and suggest I visit Mungoe's," she said.

George smiled at her in response, and realized he was staring and smiling longer than he should have. "Erm, well, Fred and I mostly fool around out there anyway and Harry, well, ok he's pretty brilliant at Seeker but he's been around a while now. There's gotta be someone out there that's fair."

She didn't look entirely convinced, so George continued. "We've already done so well, we just gotta hold out. Our best competition's out of the way." She shrugged a little, but it seemed to be sinking in more. "You're a great captain, Angelina. You'll figure it out."

She looked up at him then and just noticed that she was so close to him that she could see each freckle on his face and fleck of color in his eyes. Usually she could fight off her crush as something silly and stupid, but in times like right now when they were alone and being semi-serious it was full-blown.

"Thanks George," she said, and while she looked more at ease, she wasn't smiling still.

"Ange, you gotta smile," George said in a dead-panned tone.

"Ugh, I don't really feel like it, George," she said, looking unamused at the mischievous look on his face.

"Really?" he asked. As soon as she nodded she regretted it because she was instantly hit by a tickling charm. She fell backward onto the bench, laughing hysterically, before rolling off onto the floor.

"Make- make it stop George… No. No. Unfair!" she managed to yell between laughter. George looked quite pleased with himself. "Nope. You've been brooding as much as Potter. I think you're due."

Angelina managed to pull her wand out of her pocket and between laughs gasp out the tickling charm. George was quickly on the ground beside her.

Her sides were beginning to hurt from the laughter. "All right… all right… truce?"

George nodded and said, "Tru-truce."

"Count of… count of…1… 2…3…" but neither released the charm and George knocked his head against the lockers.

"You didn't!" George yelled.

"You neither!" Angelina gasped out.

George started off this time. "1…. 2….3…."

This time the charms were released and the two wheezed a bit before breaking into real laughter. Angelina sat on her knees as George sat up, rubbing the side of his head.

"You big dolt," she said, putting her hands on both his cheeks and turning his head so she could look at it. "A knot, but I think you'll live," she said with a smirk.

She looked back at him, her hands both still on his cheeks, and he had a jovial smile on his face. She smiled in return and looked at his bump again.

She felt a knot of her own tighten in her stomach. He had a hand on her arm and she was almost sitting in his lap. She took a deep breath before gently kissing the knot on his head. She pulled back and looked at him apprehensively as she tried to gauge his reactions.

George blinked, and her hands left his cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing could come out. She was royally embarrassed.

But then he placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. At first she was surprised by the kiss, but then she sank into it. Her arms wrapped around his neck and his hands were sliding up his back. As she leaned back onto the bench, pulling him down with her, George muttered, "Been wanting to snog you for bloody ages…" Angelina giggled into the kiss.

Two years later, he still had the ability to make her laugh while snogging.

"Ah! George! That tickles you prat!" she laughed as they kissed and he gently ran his hands over her sides, knowing full well that she was especially ticklish there.

He chuckled and went about removing her bra as he kissed her neck. She tugged his boxers down, gasping simultaneously as he kissed a particularly sensitive spot.

He smirked and in turn began kissing down her body. Every moan and squirm just egged him on more. As he slowly pulled down her knickers there was a rap on the door. Both paid it no mind and George began kissing agonizingly slow up her leg. When he reached her knee, there was a louder knock.

"Come on George! It's important!" Fred yelled from the other side of the door.

Angelina and George had been interrupted many times before. It was always for some joke idea that could have easily waited. Therefore, George began moving up her thigh. Angelina arched up. "George just hurry up… please" she said as she squirmed some more.

George laughed. Fred hadn't knocked on the door again, so they assumed it wasn't anything major, as usual. "You've gotten impatient," he said.

She gave him a look and said, "Well, we haven't seen each other in over a week."

George looked contemplative before saying, "Good point" before climbing up to her and kissing her hard. Angelina giggled and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.

The knocking at the door came more urgently. "George, we gotta go. Harry's back at Hogwarts. They're saying this is it!"

George and Angelina quickly pulled apart, looking at the door in disbelief. After a brief pause to let the news sink in, George pulled himself up. "I'll be right out," he yelled, quickly trying to pull on his clothes.

Angelina rolled out of bed and began pulling on her clothes too. She scrambled to find her wand. She unsuccessfully tried to pull her hair into a plait as George opened the door. "They really think this is it?" she asked Fred as George pulled on his shoes that he left strewn around the living room.

Fred opened his mouth to make a comment about her haphazard hair and flushed face, but there wasn't much time to take the mickey out of her. "Yeah. A bunch of Dumbledore's Army's waiting for us at Hog's Head," Fred said.

"What about Ginny?" George asked and Fred looked contemplative.

"Locked up at Muriel's," Fred said, already knowing where George was going. They had promised Ginny that they would get her if there was a major battle.

"She's not going to put up with that," George said, looking annoyed.

"Maybe she shouldn't have to…" Fred said, and the exchange they gave each other was devilish.

Angelina rolled her eyes and said, "Guys, I think there's a battle we should be getting to."

"Right," Fred said, turning to Angelina. "We'll grab Ginny at Muriel's. Ah, bugger, we promised Lee we'd tell him when it happens. We'll get him, too. Can you tell some other people?"

"Yeah, sure," she said, attempting to fix her hair a bit more, names of people to contact running through her mind.

The only way to get to Muriel's was by floo from Fred and George's and Shell Cottage. Fred turned to the floo, but George stared back at Angelina. A very serious look crossed over his face, and it worried her. "I love you, Angie," he said in a resolute voice.

She raised her eyebrow before pointing at him. "No. You're saying goodbye."

"Just say it back," George said in a calm but serious tone. Fred kept staring at the floo. He didn't particularly want to watch this exchange.

"No! Because you're saying goodbye. This isn't going to be a goodbye," she said, looking angrier and angrier at him.

George took step toward her. "Angie, if something happens…I don't want you to wish you had said it."

"Don't 'Angie' me. There doesn't need to be a goodbye," she said firmly.

"Ang-"

"No!"

"Angelina, we're wasting time. Just say it back, damnit," he said, looking angry himself.

She crossed her arms, willing herself not to get more upset. He had been her friend since she was eleven, best guy friend since 13, and boyfriend since 18. She was too afraid to say goodbye.

"I love you, too, George," she said quietly. He leaned in and kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around him to give him a final hug. When he pulled away he went directly toward the floo.

"I'll see you on the other end," she said, as Fred gave a wave and the two entered the floo and shouted their destination.

Angelina felt completely numb and alone once the flames disappeared. She was not going to allow herself to think that that might be the final time she would see them though, and she quickly Disapparated off to Alicia's.

She saw Fred and George again once she had gotten Katie, Alicia, and Oliver. After they dispersed she didn't see much of them again. There was the instant when she heard one of the twins had died, and she felt her world fall apart. She felt guilty when she realized later on in the Great Hall that it was Fred, not George, and felt relief. She shouldn't feel relief.

When the war was finally over she first found Oliver Wood and never felt more relieved to see him in her life. Next she was nearly tackled by Alicia and then Katie, and she couldn't remember the last time she had cried so hard. George looked numb, and while she tried to talk to him, to comfort him, even just to hug him, he was not responsive.

Even after she forced him to move out of his flat above the shop and into her flat, he wasn't very responsive to her. Forcing him to stay sober meant he didn't talk. Funerals had come and gone and there was very little change. It was why it was so weird to see him look so content.

She sighed and crawled into bed next to him. He wrapped an arm over her out of instinct, and she relished in it. A few silent tears escaped as she drifted off to sleep.

George woke a few hours later from a nightmare but found that he was safe in Angelina's bed. He sighed and sunk into his pillow. He had an arm over Angelina's side and he quietly pulled her closer to him. She moaned a bit, but didn't wake.

She was too good for him. He always thought that. He wasn't very serious and he hadn't cared for school. He was barely taller than her. He was a jokester who somehow managed to bag one of the prettiest girls he had ever known. He leaned and kissed a bare spot of her shoulder.

He definitely was not good for her now. Without Fred he felt like half of himself was missing. He knew he was being hard to be around, and he didn't see that changing anytime soon.

He sighed again and nuzzled into her neck as he tried to think of things that made him happy. Maybe it could make him whole again, although he really doubted it.

It was the night of the first time he slept with Angelina. She was sound asleep on his chest, looking amazing there. A slight smile resided on her face. He couldn't sleep though. He was euphoric and wired. His body was tired, but his mind kept replaying the night over and over. He was pretty sure he was completely smitten with her, head over heels in love. If he could just bottle up this feeling, this happiness, WWW would make a fortune.

"Bloody hell, that's perfect," he exclaimed, quickly jumping out of bed and pulling on some shorts.

Angelina stirred and grunted, none too pleased to be woken up. George dashed out of the room though. He had to tell Fred about his idea to sell a line of temporary, fairly mild love potions. He even had a few ideas of some more adult products that could be useful later.

It was a couple of months before George could muster to tell her that he was in love with her. She had gotten them tickets to see a Wasps game thanks to her job working at All Quidditch Supplies. She was a consultant for a few manufacturers in Quidditch equipment. George had never really noticed how good Angelina was at charms due to his not really noticing much that went on in class and his and Fred's natural knack for the craft. Her talent in charms plus experience in Quidditch in being a chaser and a captain made her a prime candidate to help construct new and better equipment. She was ecstatic when she got the job, and as George watched her smiling from ear to ear as she watched her favorite team, he knew he was reaping some of the benefits as well.

"I love you," he blurted out.

She had been transfixed by the game, but she looked back at him, mouth agape. "Wh-what did you say?"

"I love you," he said, hoping his normal cheeky grin would be charming enough for this not to be a total disaster.

She smiled and said, "I love you, too." She then gave him a kiss before turning back to the game. Yes, he was definitely very lucky.

He continued to think he was lucky. They had just had their two year anniversary and for someone who had never thought too hard on commitment, he was pretty sure he didn't want to be with anyone else ever again. They had had their break up midway during their first year and the months without her had just reassured him even more. She was it.

When he told Fred, he didn't get exactly the response he had imagined.

"Are you bloody nuts? You're 20 and you're saying she's the one?" Fred said, flabbergasted.

George shrugged. "She is. I'm gonna marry her."

Fred leaned in to George and said louder and slower, as if George hadn't heard the first time. "You're TWENTY!"

Fred was not exactly monogamous. His girlfriends rarely lasted a month. He said he wasn't ready to be tied down.

"Well, I'm not going to propose tomorrow. She'd say no if I did! She'd think it's because of the war and say no just to spite me," George said, a goofy smile on his face.

"I like Ange and all, but come on," Fred said. They were too young to be talking like this!

George leaned back in his chair, barely paying attention to Fred. "I'm telling you, the day after this all ends, I'll do it. I'll ask her."

Fred shook his head and threw his hands up in the air. "Why not just do it now? Might as well. What's the difference?"

"Nope. But as soon it's over…. I guarantee it…" he said a bit too wistfully for Fred's taste.

And it all still went back to Fred. Everything would always come back to him. George took a deep breath and wrapped his arm a little tighter around Angelina. It was almost a week after the war had ended. It was all over. He couldn't imagine proposing to Angelina now though. He felt like a void, he wasn't much good, and he couldn't imagine Fred not being his best man. Fred was right. Now he was twenty-one, but twenty-one was too young, anyway.


	16. Love and Pride

It had been two weeks since Lupin and Tonks's funerals. Ron and Hermione left two days later for Australia. It took a week to find her parents because in the time since Hermione had gotten them set up in Australia, they had moved twice. Once she had removed the memory spells, she found out that they had never felt truly at home in their first two houses, and they always felt as if something was off.

The reunion was emotional and not without its bumps. Her parents were relieved to have their memories back and to see Hermione was okay. They were very upset to be tricked and had a memory spell placed on them. They didn't like that she went off on their search without letting them know the dangers. They especially didn't like that she used magic on them.

The relationship was now strained and even though it had been a week and they appeared to be acting normal with her, she wasn't sure her relationship with her parents would ever be the same again.

"They love you, at least," she said with a sigh as she packed her bag.

"'Mione, they're just blindsided. They'll get over it," Ron said as he watched her pack. She was moody whenever not with her parents, and she put on a façade of happiness when with her parents.

"Think of how your mum and dad would react to you erasing their memory and lying and sending them to another continent, and then tell me they'll get over it. All right, Ron?" she said coolly back. She slammed her suitcase shut and put a hand to her head. She didn't mean to get mad at Ron, he was just nice displacement.

"I'm sorry," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm just… I'm just stressed over all of this."

He gave her a bit of a smile and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You did the right thing. They were safe and didn't have to worry. They'll see it and they'll get over it because they love you, okay?"

She had been looking down and she glanced back up at him when he finished. "You really think it was the right thing to do?"

He smiled and nodded, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She rested her head on his chest and took a deep breath as she tried to relax. "Thank you for coming, Ron. I really needed you," she said quietly.

He swayed gently, and the motion as well as his arms around her served as a great calming force.

She then looked up at him, and suddenly a great clarity washed over her. She knew how she felt about him, and she had a good idea that he felt strongly for her since he volunteered to come all the way to Australia to help her find her parents. She had been scared to tell him how she felt. She was afraid to be the first one to say it.

But as she looked up at his bright blue eyes she felt completely relaxed, calm, and content. "You're amazing for coming out here, Ron," she said, a small smile appearing on her face.

It made him smile in return. Recently she rarely smiled when she wasn't in front of her parents. "I dunno about amaz-"

"I love you, Ron," she said before he could finish. She looked up at him expectantly, hoping she hadn't said it too soon.

A goofy side grin broke on his face as he continued to slightly sway her. "Yeah?"

It wasn't exactly the response she had wanted, but he didn't look scared at least. She nodded and said with a little less confidence, "Very much so."

His smile grew bigger and he squeezed her tighter before kissing her. When the kiss broke, he said, "I love you, too, Hermione. For… for I don't know how long, really. For a while."

She smiled and couldn't help but giggle. All of her worries faded away as he looked at her and held her like that.

A few days later, Ginny sat in her window seat, staring at the backyard. Harry left the day after Ron and Hermione to go with Neville and help Kingsley round up Death Eaters. It made her worried sick. She was always flying or helping her mother clean.

It had been almost two weeks since he had left. She got letters from him almost every day. Sometimes they were longer and sometimes they were just a one-line sentence telling her he was okay. It wasn't enough to keep her relaxed, though. On the days that she didn't receive a note she was unusually quiet and on edge. She wasn't completely sure why she was more worried now than she was the past year. Maybe it was because she knew he would be in direct contact with Death Eaters, and maybe it was because she was a little worried that now that life was falling more into place, he was going to be ripped away from her.

Hermione had been writing to Ginny about her reunion with her parents, and Ginny had in turn been responding with her worries. Ginny rested her head against the wall as she continued to stare out into the backyard when she heard a knock. She glanced over to see Hermione in the doorway.

"You're back!" Ginny said excitedly as she jumped off the window seat.

Hermione smiled and embraced Ginny once she approached her.

"Are your parents all moved in?" Ginny asked when they pulled apart.

Hermione looked and sounded tired as she responded. "Yeah. I'll be staying at home for the rest of the summer when I'm not helping Kingsley, I think. They weren't too angry about all I did but… I think I need to stay there to make it up to them." She looked guilty.

Ginny bit her lip and said, "I bet Ron's not keen to that."

Hermione shook her head with a smile and said, "No, no he's not exactly fond of it, but he understands." Ginny watched as Hermione looked as if she might burst, a smile forming on her face.

"He told me he loves me, Ginny," she said.

Ginny's eyes widened and she almost laughed. "Emotionally inept Ron? My brother Ron?"

"Same one," Hermione said, no longer able to hold back her smile as she blushed.

Ginny squealed and gave Hermione another hug. Hermione had waited so long for her relationship with Ron, and while Ginny was a little jealous, she was still happy for her.

"Uh oh," Hermione said, staring at Ginny. "What is that look for?"

"Nothing. I'm so happy that he finally got his head out of his arse-" Ginny said before being interrupted.

"Something wrong with Harry?" Hermione asked and Ginny shrugged.

"No. He's still gone so I miss him, that's all," she said.

"He's crazy about you Ginny," Hermione said resolutely.

Ginny looked a bit defensive. "I know. I just…it's been a short amount of time since he has been back and while it would have been great for him to tell me exactly how he was feeling… to use those three words… right when he got back, I know that's not exactly realistic."

Hermione nodded and said, "He might not remember hearing anyone say that to him before, Ginny. He can be just as reserved as Ron…"

"I know. I should just give it time… even though he's technically had feelings for me for almost two years now…" she said, sounding disgruntle.

Hermione smiled, looking amused, and said, "You know you could tell _him,_ right? I said it to Ron first."

Ginny worried her lip between her teeth and said, "I know, but I can't. It's stupid stubbornness, but I can't."

Hermione wished she had held back the tiny laughter she let out at Ginny's declaration. "What do you mean you can't?"

Ginny gave the slightest glare and said, "I just can't. I fancied him so much longer than he fancied me. I've loved him longer, if he loves me. He broke up with me. I just… I can't. It might be prideful, but I can't. I don't want to push him and I sort of need it to come from him."

Ginny had sat on her bed, and Hermione joined her. "I asked Ron to Slughorn's party, I kissed him, I said love first…"

Ginny shrugged and said, "Maybe later on I won't need it and I'll say it first but right now… I just need it."

Hermione was a little annoyed at the stubbornness, but she understood.

And Ginny continued to wait. When Harry arrived a week later, they had a rather passionate reunion. The words didn't come back but she was content because he came back safe, even if he was bruised and tired.

"Merlin, I missed you," he said one night as they sat on the roof of the Burrow, looking up at the stars. "Another year is going to be hell."

She smiled and said, "Just don't get yourself killed and we'll be fine."

"Man, you're awful at being reassuring tonight," he said with a laugh and she laughed as well.

"Ginny?" She turned and the look on his face made her breath hitch.

"Hm?" was all she managed to say.

"I… I'm really glad you took me back. You keep me going," he said earnestly.

She released the breath she had been holding and said, "Me too, Harry. Me too."

_Author's note: Ok, we're really close to being out of the dramatic woods. More fluff will be coming!!_


	17. Birthday Wishes

"Hurry up, Potter!" Ginny yelled as she glanced behind her. Harry was distracted by the sight of her hair flying all around her as she sped in front of him and the pain in all of his muscles. He was always training or out searching for Death Eaters and it was brutal on his body.

Ginny reached the hoops first and laughed when he finally caught up. "I think it's safe to say you've gotten rusty," she said with a cheeky grin.

He thought about coming back and pointing out how sore he was and how she was practicing everyday while he hadn't flown on a broom like that in weeks, but she looked too adorable.

"Yup. You got me, Weasley," he said as he tried to catch his breath.

He noticed her glance over at the Burrow as if looking for something in particular before looking back at him and saying, "Now, tell me, how does it feel to get beat on your birthday? By a Comet, no less?"

He laughed as they flew back to the ground. "I never realized how much of a sore winner you are."

She grinned and said, "Well, you're lucky we were on the same team, then."

She glanced to the house again and smirked. "Hey… let's put up the brooms and Apparate to my room."

He cocked an eyebrow but didn't protest. He was very glad for that because the moment they appeared in her room she pulled him in for a kiss. It was in that spot a year ago that he had had one of the best snogs of his life so far, and she was definitely beating it out.

He was surprised how passionate she was considering they were both a mess. Even though she wasn't a girly girl, she had never been fond of him trying to hug or kiss her when either was sweaty or dirty. He wondered if it had something to do with the flying, and he secretly hoped it did.

Right when he thought he couldn't have been any more riled up she squeaked and pulled away. "Oh, bullocks!" she exclaimed. "I promised my mum I would help her with your birthday dinner."

Harry wouldn't let her go and he groaned. "It's my birthday and I'd rather you stay here with me…"

She smiled, kissed him, and said, "I'm sorry. You know my mum. Here, we both need to shower. Why don't you go shower in Ron's room and rest." She walked around to his back and began rubbing his shoulders. "I know how tired you are."

He sighed as her fingers rubbed at knots in his back. "Mmmmmhmmm…"

She smiled and turned him towards the door. "I'll wake you up for dinner."

She watched to make sure he made it to Ron's room without trying to go downstairs before rushing downstairs to help.

"About bloody time," Ron said, sounding rather annoyed.

"Well, I had to distract him, didn't I?" Ginny said as she walked over to her mother.

"Ron, leave Ginny alone. She was helping," Molly Weasley said as she handed Ginny the bowl of potatoes Molly had been mashing.

"Yeah, by playing Quidditch and snogging all day," Ron grumbled. His mother didn't' hear him, but Hermione did. She promptly poked his side and gave him a look before she continued to decorate the living room and kitchen with the streamers and balloons.

"Ron, go get the extra table and some chairs from the shed, please. Hermione, dear, when you're finished decorating, could you ice this cake?" Mrs. Weasley said, bustling around the kitchen.

A half an hour later, they were almost done and Mrs. Weasley noticed that Ginny was still in her practice gear. Ginny was looking anxiously at her watch as she continued to help. Mrs. Weasley smiled and said, "Why don't you go get ready, Ginny? We don't have very much left."

Ginny glanced up at her mother's knowing smile and smiled in return. "Thanks, Mum!" she said as she hugged her mum and ran upstairs.

"All right! Are we done?" Ron asked, looking as if he was heading towards the stairs, too.

"No, Ginny needs to get ready. Ron, set the table, please," Mrs. Weasley said, turning back and grabbing the food to set out.

"What? She helps last and gets done first!" Ron said with a groan.

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley and Hermione said in unison.

"Ron," Mrs. Weasley continued, "This is her boyfriend's first birthday party to remember. She can take more time to get ready."

Hermione crooked her eyebrow but softly touched his arm before grabbing some plates to help him set the table.

Ginny quickly showered. Before getting ready she went to Percy's old room, dressed in a robe with a towel wrapped around her head. She cracked the door and smirked at the sight of Harry sleeping. Harry had gotten back from his mission last night, and Ginny asked him to come straight to the Burrow to stay.

Soon after joining the Aurors he moved in to Grimmauld Place, but hadn't had time to make it any less dreary. Ginny protested but Harry didn't feel comfortable staying at the Burrow any longer. He said he didn't want to intrude, and when Ron moved into Grimmauld Place as well, Hermione and Ginny decided it had more to do with them having a need to feel grown up and on their own. Hermione went on some of the missions with them, trying to make time between settling her parents back in and helping recover Death Eaters, and it was hard jumping in with the other Aurors at eighteen and, for Harry, seventeen.

He came in late last night, and even though he dropped his things off in Percy's room, he went straight to Ginny's room and slipped into bed with her. Now he was stretched out across Percy's bed and Ginny wasn't sure if it was the wear and tear of the year or the fact that it was his birthday that made her notice he didn't look exactly like the boy she first started dating. His hair was a mess as always, his scar peeking through his fringe. The scar from Slytherin's locket was prominent on his chest. Other lighter scars appeared on his arms and back, and she noticed a large bruise on his back that he must have received on his last mission. He wasn't looking as lean and thin as he did at the beginning of the summer. She noticed that he was beginning to gain some muscle back. She was sure that between the training, missions and her Mum's food, Harry was well on his way to losing his skinny form.

When he was awake there was something in his eyes that betrayed him and told of what he had seen and done this year. There was something about his manner, something in his face that made him seem older than before his hunt for Horcruxes. She smiled as she watched him, because it didn't appear in his face now. He was completely relaxed and looked boyish again. She almost didn't want to wake him.

"Harry?" she said softly, padding into the room. "Harry, you should wake up." Harry began to stir and Ginny gently squeezed his arm. Harry rolled over on his back and blinked up at her. He smiled and grabbed her arm, pulling her down on top of him.

Ginny giggled and said, "Harry, it's almost time for dinner. We can't…"

"But you look so good…" he mumbled, not ready to set her free yet.

She pushed off against his chest with a smirk. "I'm in a bathrobe and a towel wrapped around my hair with no makeup on and you don't have your glasses," she said, pulling on her robe's belt to tighten it even more.

He rolled over to grab his glasses and said, "Well, you always look good."

She rolled her eyes with a smile and said in a sickenly sweet voice, "Aw, that's such shite." She then laughed and said, "Go shower. We'll have dinner soon."

Harry sighed and did as he was told. It was his first time to have a hot, long shower in a week. Even this morning he was in and out. He did like the Auror work so far, but it was taxing. He took his time getting ready. He thought he would go find Ron or Hermione since he hadn't seen much of his two best friends on his birthday, but when he stepped in the hallway Ron looked like he was waiting.

"Come on, mate," he said, heading towards the stairs. "Mum made a big dinner for your birthday."

Ron hurried down the stairs first with Harry close behind. Just as Harry was far enough along to see the downstairs cheers and yells of "Surprise!" erupted. Harry reached the bottom step and saw a crowd of people. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Fleur, George and Angelina, Lee Jordan, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Dean, Hagrid, McGonagall, Kingsley, Andromeda and Teddy were all in the kitchen and living room. Streamers and balloons hung from the ceiling and he could see a snitch buzzing about. Ginny was at the forefront, wearing a chocolate sundress and a smile. Her hair looked smooth and shiny and there was a fire in her eyes.

He honestly didn't know what to say, and as he took more steps with a dumbfounded expression the partygoers laughed and paid him birthday wishes.

"Wow," he finally said. "This is… amazing…" Ginny was beaming. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before taking his hand and trying to lead him to greet his guests. There were some he hadn't seen since the battle. He hadn't seen Andromeda and Teddy in weeks, and he was shocked at how big Teddy was getting.

Harry didn't exactly like having attention heaped on him, and he was grateful that he was able to take his own time to talk to people instead of dealing with a swarm. He thought dinner was great and the cake was brilliant. He sat between Ron and Ginny at dinner and couldn't remember the last time he felt so lighthearted. Lately he had been feeling so much older. Chasing after Death Eaters aged a person. Tonight he felt like an eighteen year old boy. It was his first big birthday party and it was perfect. His auror work and the final battle felt far away as he laughed and joked most of the night. He noticed that even George was looking more spirited than usual. Angelina looked extremely pleased.

The party went late, and Harry was a bit surprised at how many people came and how late they stayed. As the last of the non-Weasley guests left Harry pulled Ginny to the side.

"Thank you," he whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her.

"For what?"

He smirked. "I'm not daft. You were distracting me today, huh? Was this your idea?"

She shrugged and said, "It was a joint effort. Besides, this wasn't my birthday present to you."

Harry looked at her confused. "It wasn't? Gin, I don't need anything, really…"

She smiled and said, "Yes, actually, you do. Now, grab my arm and side Apparate us to Grimmauld Place."

Harry still looked confused. He felt a bit itchy as he remembered last year's present was a good snog in her room. Was she wanting to go farther than they had tonight? She had been flirty and feisty today…Were they going to shag?

"Harry, hello? Let's go," she said, waving a hand in front of his house.

"Oh," Harry said as he broke from his reverie. "Right."

When they Apparated into the side yard of Grimmauld he took a deep breath. He wanted to have sex with her, but he wasn't sure he wanted it to be some sort of birthday gift. He also wasn't sure if he would be able to turn it down when the time came.

"Come on," she said, almost dragging him to the front door.

Harry's mind was racing as they reached the door and stepped into the foyer.

"Well?" she said with a smile.

Harry looked down at her. "Huh?"

She looked annoyed, and Harry grew worried. "Harry!"

Harry then glanced around. The wallpaper didn't look as dingy. There were frames of Harry and his friends on the tables and shelves. As he walked in, he noticed the furniture looked cleaner and even… newer. It looked just like the old furniture except more stable and cleaner. The walls were all either lighter colors ot the wallpaper looked refreshed.

"Did you… is this…" Harry said, looking around. It looked so much better. It looked like a home.

She grinned and said, "It's mostly repairing and cleansing charms… but I think it did it. This place looked so depressing. It didn't look like a home, Harry. So… while you were gone I thought it would be nice to fix it up. My mum and Kreacher helped." She grew nervous as he didn't answer but just looked around. "Do you like it?"

"It's great!" he marveled. "But… it had to be a lot of work, yeah? It was hard three years ago."

Ginny shook her head and said, "That's when it hadn't been used in so many years. There was some cleaning but Kreacher helped this time around and most of the hard cleaning was already done from last time."

Harry smiled as he picked up a few frames and looked at the pictures. Ginny touched his arm and said, "Come on."

They walked up the stairs and Ginny led him to his room. He walked in and the color was a rich scarlet with gold accents. The bedding looked similar but not exactly like the bedding of the Gryffindor dormitories. All the other rooms merely needed charms or were decorated with reused things. Even the frames were mostly extra ones she had and ones she found in the attic. His room was the only one where she had to buy anything. She had been wondering what she would get him all summer and had worried over it because she couldn't afford anything very nice. She hoped this worked.

She watched as he looked around the room. "If it's too much, if you want different colors, I can change it. The walls were charmed."

Harry saw that his desk and the shelf above it were organized so that he could see pictures and memorabilia. His Firebolt was hanging up on the wall on hooks that allowed him to easily take it down if he wanted to use it. There was a Gryffindor poster on the wall.

"Where did you get all of these pictures?" he asked as he continued to survey the room.

"Um, a lot are from Colin. Some are Hermione's and mine," she said. He smiled as he saw his Irish hat from the Quidditch World Cup sitting on a shelf as well.

"Been rummaging through my trunk?" he asked with a smirk, she merely shrugged.

He turned around, hands in his pockets, and stared at Ginny. A knot formed in her stomach.

"You know you're too good for me right?" he asked, and a small smile formed.

She smiled and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. "I know. You're lucky." He chuckled and she grinned up at him. "But I am, too."

And then Harry kissed her. He kissed her with as much passion he could muster, hands roaming and tongues clashing. He kissed her until he knew he should stop or else he would want to go too far. Breathless, he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. "You should probably go. Your parents would go mental if you stayed the night, wouldn't they?"

Ginny groaned and said, "Don't you think they know you sleep in my room?"

Harry eyes widened and he panicked. "Wait, you think they do?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and said, "Harry, it's not a big deal. They probably do, but they haven't said anything yet."

Harry didn't look reassured and she sighed. "You're right. I bet Ron will be back soon anyway."

Harry glanced away and then back at her. "Did you fix up Ron's room, too?"

Ginny smirked and said, "He can do his own room. Mum cleaned it up a bit and brought a couple of boxes of stuff he might want, though. It's not his birthday."

Harry smiled and kissed her forehead. "It was the best birthday. Thanks, Ginny." He always missed her when he was away, and he wished she didn't really have to go home so soon. He wished he didn't have to leave her again in a couple of days for who knows how long.

He was looking at her lovingly, and she looked back expectantly. She still stubbornly refused to say 'love' first. She wished he would just say it, but instead he just continued to look at her with love without actually saying it. Finally, she managed a smile and said, "You're welcome, Harry."


	18. More Tents

"I can't believe how nice everyone has been about us sharing rooms," Hermione said as she changed into her nightgown.

Ron was facing the opposite direction as per her usual request. He didn't really know why, though, considering he had practically seen her naked many times by now. "Or tents, in this case," Ron said, willing himself not to turn around. Usually they could observe people in shady taverns and have actual rooms to stay in, but this past mission had put them back in tents.

Hermione pulled on her dressing gown and said, "You can turn around, now. Have the boys made fun of you about it?"

Ron sighed and took hold of her arm to pull her into his cot. "Not really. It's not a big deal, Hermione. There aren't any girls on the team and it's better for you to not sleep alone. Two's better than one, right?"

Hermione nodded as she snuggled into him. She thought he looked a little frustrated, and so she gently kissed his bare chest before looking back up at him. "Not that I'm complaining, Ron. After last year and this summer, I've had quite a difficult time sleeping at home." A smug look appeared on his face and she said teasingly, "Apparently I need to hear you snoring to fall asleep."

"Hey," he said, turning her over so that he was now resting over her, "you love my snores." He then leaned in and kissed her and said, "And I'd say our sleeping habits were very different in the old tent."

She was finding it very hard to concentrate when he was kissing her neck the way he was. "Yes… I think Harry would have been… would have been rather miffed if it had been like this last year," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and tilting her head to give him more access.

"Fuck I'm going to miss you in a month," he muttered as he moved his kisses down her collarbone.

"Ronald, language," Hermione scoffed.

He pulled up and said incredulously, "There's no one around!"

She giggled and gave him a chaste kiss. "And it's less than a month, now."

Ron groaned and buried his face into her neck again.

"Funny how we could be one way for seven years and now it seems impossible to not be able to see each other everyday like this," she said thoughtfully. She rubbed a hand up his back soothingly as she thought.

"Yes, hilarious how stupid we were," Ron said with a snort, looking back at her.

"_We_ were? This entire mess would have been avoided if you had asked me to the ball fourth year or even gone with me to Slughorn's party instead of following your pecker to the pretty blonde," she huffed.

Ron sighed and dropped his forehead to her shoulder. He would never live that down. "I'm sorry, Mione. I never thought for a million years that you wanted me," he grumbled.

She felt a bit bad then because she knew how guilty he felt. She ran a hand through his hair and said, "Well, I suppose it did give us years of pent up frustration that made this summer so interesting."

She felt him smile against her shoulder. "It's enough just seeing you fight the Death Eaters. You look so bloody hott." And then he was kissing her again and she was giggling and blushing, putting one of her hands up to her face.


	19. Belated

Harry and Ginny had gotten the swing of going out in public. So far, the paper hadn't figured out where in Muggle London they were going. So, often they just walked around Muggle London in complete obscurity.

Harry was lucky that while Ginny was not obsessed with Muggle things like her father, she did think they were extremely interesting. She was completely fascinated by the cinema and theater. She was completely flabbergasted at a Manchester United game.

"It's amazing what Muggles can do without magic. This looks like a real sport…" she said excitedly as she watched. Harry quickly quieted her down before chuckling at her amazement.

Harry tried to spend every day or night he had off either with Ginny, her family, or Teddy. He was relieved that she seemed to also enjoy watching movies because when he was especially exhausted after a mission or he had Teddy, they could just watch a movie or TV program on the TV Hermione had charmed to work without electricity.

However, there were some bumps. He hated that they couldn't just stroll down Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley without reporters taking their picture or asking for interviews, or worse, without fangirls clamoring for attention and shooting Ginny dirty looks. She swore it didn't bother her, and maybe it didn't, but it bothered him. He had never really liked the publicity he had had in the past, and it seemed to quadruple now.

Then there was the matter of their missions. He would be gone for days on end that summer with Ron, Hermione, and Neville. He knew Ginny hated just sitting at home. Once again she was being a good sport about it. She would again point out she had the trace on her, and that it gave her plenty of time to practice Quidditch. Sometimes he would have to leave when they had plans. It was worse when it took longer than it expected. He knew it worried the Weasleys when the four of them took longer than they intended, and he could usually see the wear of it on Ginny's face through her smile. It reminded him of the look on her face the night of the seven Harrys.

The worst time was when Ron and Hermione went with one group of aurors and he and Neville went with another, and he and Neville ended up coming home three days after her birthday instead of two days before. She had a lovely party and he had been looking forward to it. She was of age now and it would make traveling around and charmwork much easier. He was looking forward to seeing some friends he hadn't seen since his birthday. He also thought he did a pretty good job of a present.

But he didn't make it to the party. Hermione sent an owl the next day with pictures from the party and Harry poured over them that night when he was supposed to be sleeping for the next long day. He slipped all of the pictures into his small bag of equipment and necessities which was charmed much like Hermione's beaded purse, but slipped the picture of Ginny blowing out her candles and laughing in his back pocket. He sent her a note with his birthday wishes and apology that night, and he received a note telling him not to worry and that she was just glad that he was safe the day after. She would see him soon. On the third day after her birthday he arrived home, but he was so exhausted he showered and slept into the next day.

The next morning he headed over to the Burrow and after a rather long breakfast where he heard plenty of stories involving Ginny's birthday. He spoke only vaguely about his most recent mission, and tried to turn the conversation to happier subjects, like Hermione's attempt at cooking on Ginny's birthday ("Honestly, I don't understand what the problem was. It isn't any different than mixing a potion, right?") or George mentioning his first idea of an invention over breakfast the other morning.

After breakfast, Harry decided to take Ginny to another normal muggle attraction, the zoo. He was a little afraid it might bore her since there weren't any magical creatures, but she enjoyed seeing the 'normal' animals. She explained that they weren't brought up as much since they had no magical abilities, and so this was fairly new to her.

When they reached the reptile exhibit, Ginny noticed a change in Harry. He was quieter, but didn't appear tired or moody. He was actually faintly smiling.

"What's with you?" she asked with a smile, eating some popcorn he had bought her.

"See that snake over there? I made the glass disappear once and my cousin fell in. The glass reappeared and he was stuck. Didn't know I was a wizard then… I was just really mad at Dudley," he said as he walked up to the snake's exhibit. Of course it was no longer the same snake, but it felt nice to feel good nostalgia for something in his childhood.

Ginny smiled and walked up beside him. Once he felt her there he said quietly, "I spoke to my first snake in there. He told me about how he grew up in captivity; he never knew his family either. I set him free when the glass disappeared. I'm sure they got him back though." Harry leaned against the rail and stared at the new snake, which was paying him no notice.

"And you didn't think it was weird that a snake was talking back to you?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"Well, yeah, but I didn't think I was a wizard. I thought it was something with the snake, not me. I mean, I didn't really think I made the pane disappear. Or well, I didn't believe I did. That would have been crazy back then," Harry said before turning his attention back to the snake exhibit. He furrowed his brow for a minute before saying, "So, when did they put you in here?" The snake didn't respond. "It's all right you can-"

Harry stopped when Ginny rested a hand on his arm. "Harry… you're talking normally."

Harry stared at her for a minute before looking back at the snake. He tried to give it one more go, but again, no response. It then dawned on him that when Voldemort killed the horcrux within him, it destroyed his ability to talk to snakes.

Harry smiled wider and turned to Ginny. "I'm not a parseltongue anymore," he said, sounding thrilled at the thought.

She smiled and said, "Well, I guess you're just a normal wizard like everyone else now. Well, not just like everyone else. You'll always be the boy-who-lived and the chosen one and all of that, but yeah, no more special Voldemort powers."

And that was when it truly hit him for the first time. He knew that the war was over, but searching for Death Eaters had kept it from seeming like it was all really over. But it was. No more headaches from his scar, talking to snakes, or having prophetic dreams. No more prophecies to dictate his future. That destiny was complete, and he finally had his freedom. Ginny was right; he couldn't escape his past and he would always deal with the constraints of being the boy-who-lived, but his life really could be normal. Yes, he was being followed by the press right now but… maybe some day even they would tire of him. The thought invigorated him, and he was even livelier the rest of the day.

After lunch he took her to an aquarium, and if she liked the zoo, she loved the aquarium. Harry was feeling pretty good about the day he had planned out. They had had fun and there was not a single photographer to document it and put it in the Daily Prophet the next day. When it came time for dinner, they just went back to Grimmauld Place. He had debated on going out somewhere in Muggle London, but he had seen her so little since his own birthday that he wanted to be able to talk to her without worrying about Muggles walking by every few seconds. He wished they could just go into a Wizarding town, but that would only result in no privacy whatsoever, so he settled for a nice dinner he and Kreacher cooked at Grimmauld Place. It had been an undertaking to get Ron to leave for the night, or at least most of the night, but Harry was able to manage it.

"So, have you all made a dent in it at all or does it still seem never-ending?" Ginny asked with curiosity rather than sarcasm in her voice as she cut her chicken parmesan.

"Er… both? We got another one this go around, but it seems like it's never ending. And it's hard to tell who was imperiused," he said with a bit of a sigh. He didn't really care for the conversation to turn in this direction. He continuously had to be in the middle of fights with former Death Eaters or talk about former Death Eaters, and it was draining. He also didn't think it was lighthearted enough to talk about on her birthday dinner, so he tried to change the subject.

"Bulgaria and Turkey for the World Cup, huh?" Harry asked conversationally, instantly regretting his segue way. Why not just comment on the weather? he asked himself.

Ginny chuckled and said, "Yeah. I guess all of the UK countries were a bit preoccupied to get their teams together and ready." She gave him a knowing smile before saying, "At my party mum walked in on Ron and Hermione snogging in the linen cupboard."

And now the subject was successfully changed. "You're kidding…" Harry said with a wide smile.

Ginny giggled and said, "Nope. And it must have been a pretty compromising position because I have never seen the two look so red or act so uncomfortable for so long in my life."

Harry laughed and there was silence again. Ginny took another bite of her supper again before saying, "So, are we going to talk about it?"

Harry nearly choked before saying. "'Bout what?"

She shrugged and said, "Talk about how you avoid talking about any of your missions or me going back to school or really anything that might happen in the future and you avoid it so horribly that you can't think of anything substantial to bring up at all?"

Harry opened up his mouth and closed it again. "I just… I have to see everything that goes with the missions, the death and the.. the evil… and I don't really want to talk about it. And… I don't really want to talk about the rest because…." Harry wasn't sure what to say. He was never particularly brilliant at expressing his emotions. "I guess, it's hard enough going out and doing all of that and being able to come back and see you and it'll be even worse when I can't. I don't really fancy redoing last year."

She smiled and stood up, walked over, and sat in his lap. "Well, first. You can't just keep all of that bottled up. You can tell me what you can. So stop it. Second, it's not going to be like last year at all. We can write and visit on Hogsmeade weekends, and I'm sure you'll see a game or two. We'll be just fine."

Harry smiled at her and she felt herself melt. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

She smiled and kissed him for a moment before returning to her seat.

"So, we were in Devonshire and staying in this really shotty inn…"

Ginny smiled as she went back to her meal. She listened to his story and then told him about how her dad found a lawnmower and scared her mother senseless with it.

Harry began feeling nervous again once dinner was done. While he was pretty sure she would love her present, he wasn't sure if she would have wanted something more girly and romantic.

"Um… wait right here," Harry said as he darted out of the room. Ginny laughed, wondering what he was up to, when he came back in with a wrapped long, horizontal box. "Here's your present. I thought I was going to be back or I would have sent it along to your party."

Ginny smiled as she took the box. "Harry, all of this was enough. And I must say… I'm impressed with your gift-wrapping skills."

"Well Petunia would make me wrap gifts for Dudley's and Vernon's birthdays," Harry said as he pulled his chair up next to her.

"The cooking and cleaning and gift-wrapping… Wow, the Dursleys really did have you trained to be the perfect wife," she said in sickenly sweet voice as she put her hands on his cheeks and gave him a kiss.

"Well that's probably good since you can't do any of them," Harry said with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow.

"Excuse me, I can do all of those things. I just _choose_ not to do them often," she said before pointing at him, "And no making fun of the birthday girl."

"Fine," Harry said, chuckling. "Open your present."

She tore the wrapping, still trying to figure out what he had gotten her. When she opened up the box and pulled out the Firebolt, she gasped.

"Harry… it's too much… I can't," she said, shaking her head.

Harry moved in closer and said, "Yes, yes you can. Look, just think of it as last year's birthday and Christmas and Valentine's and anniversary gift if you want to, but take it."

She looked up at him, still looking flabbergasted and said, "Well I didn't get you anything for any of those!"

Harry needed some quick thinking right about now. "Um… well that's my fault, yeah? Not yours." He leaned in and took her hands and said, "Look, I know you want to play after Hogwarts and this is what all the teams have so they'll get to see you fly on the kind of broom they'd have and not on a Comet or something. It'll be easier to fly and you can just concentrate on the game. You said you've liked mine this summer…"

"Harry, it's just… so much. It's wonderful but I can't accept it," she said, but he could tell her resolve was waning.

"No, it's not. Come on, Gin. Let me give this to you," he said, and again he was wracking his brain trying to think of the last reason to give her. "I…. I won't be able to go to the games and…I'll feel better if you're on a better broom because, you know, it'd be safer. For you."

She laughed and said, "You are so full of shite." She the smiled fondly at him and gave him a kiss. "Thank you. It really is great."

He smiled as she leaned in for another kiss, moving into his lap again. He only had two more weeks with her, and he really hoped he would get a lighter schedule so he could have more days like today.


	20. It Never Ends

"You should ask her out," Ron said as he ate his sandwhich.

Hermione rolled her eyes. It wasn't even worth scolding him for talking with his mouth full.

"Big talk for someone who it took… what… four or five years at least?" Harry said as he snickered. Ron made a rather rude hand gesture.

"I don't fancy her ok and shut up, she'll hear you," Neville said, turning red.

"Need any refills?" Hannah Abbot said as she approached their table.

"Mmm no, fine," Neville said, quickly turning back to his mash.

"Are you all right Neville? You look rather red. Is it too hot in here?"

"No, I don't think he thinks the _restaurant _ is too hott- argh!" Ron got three swift kicks to his chin at that comment.

"We've gotta run back to the Ministry though, so could you get our checks Hannah?" Harry asked, hoping to distract attention from Neville.

"Yeah, of course," she said with a smile as she pulled their tickets out of her note pad and gave them to their respective owners.

"Thanks," Harry called after her once she left them to look at their checks. He yawned and rubbed at his eyes before he looked amused at Ron as Neville and Hermione both glared at Ron.

"Really, Ronald, you can be so dense sometime," Hermione scoffed as she took a final bite of her salad.

"I don't fancy her, all right? Let's just… drop it," Neville said, sounding very annoyed.

"All right, all right. You don't fancy her. Bloody hell, I was just trying to help," Ron said grumpily.

Hermione was now staring at Harry. "Harry… are you all right?"

"Yeah," Harry said, looking a bit surprised at the concern. "Just been a long few weeks."

"Well you don't have to take every mission that comes to the Aurors," Ron said. He then pinched Harry's cheek and said in a fake baby voice, "There will be more bad guys for you to play with tomorrow."

"Argh, get off me," Harry groaned as he pushed Ron away and then laughed. He put his money on the table. "Come on, I'm fine and we better get going. We're going to be late for training." When the four of them didn't have a mission, they had a normal workday that included all training. They had actually had a week free of missions, which Harry was grateful for. They only had one more week before Ginny, Hermione, and Neville all went back to Hogwarts.

They had barely left the Leaky Cauldron when they heard an explosion. Harry turned and saw people running out of Leaky and more screams as another bang sounded.

The four raced back inside, activating their tracking charms to backup mode, which let the Ministry know more Aurors were needed in their exact locations. They met five men hexing everything in sight, and two of the five were making a mad dash for the exit as they did so. A few other people were trying to combat the men, one of which including Hannah, who had barely been working at Leaky for a month now.

"Fuck. Okay. Ron and Hermione can you head off the other two and bind them?" Harry shouted over the fray. Ron and Hermione immediately followed Harry's suggestion and tried to stop the two fleeing from hexing half of Diagon Alley.

The next few minutes were a blur of colored lights from the hexes whizzing by, smoke, and shouting. Harry took down one and then Neville stupefied and then bound a taller man who had been dueling Hannah and two patrons on his own.

Just moments later Harry bellowed, "Petrificus Totalus!" when he realized his man was only sending a burning hex his way. It allowed Harry to freeze the man before he had time to yell out another protego, but it meant Harry got injured in the process.

He looked down at the singed mark on his arm, and through the burned fabric he could see the burn on his skin already forming. "Fucking wanker," he groaned as he walked over to the man and put him in a binding hex.

Extras from the Ministry arrived and it became another blur of action. Aurors had to step in as healers assessed who was at highest risk and needed to go ahead and go with the healers who had already arrived at the scene. Two others began Apparating the men to a holding cell in the Ministry where they could be questioned before being sent to Azkaban to await their trial. Hermione joined the one healer that stayed on the scene to treat anyone who did not have any more major injuries and did not need to go to St. Mungoe's straight away. Harry, Ron, and Neville began questioning witnesses.

Harry was trying to concentrate on his witness as healers took out the emergencies and a couple that looked like they might already be dead. It was wearing on him. His witness was Tom Roberts. He worked in the Ministry and had been a Hufflepuff a few years ahead of Harry. He was newly married and fairly obviously shaken up from the whole ordeal.

"I dunno. We were eating right next to their table… I didn't notice… didn't notice anything weird but I wasn't really paying attention, you know? We all did when He was back but since the final battle um, sir," Tom eyed Harry's scar, "we haven't been as uh… vigilant I guess."

Harry sighed and looked down at an extra notepad Hannah had given him to take notes from the witnesses. "No need to call me 'sir.' Now, you didn't see who cast the first hex? None of them said anything?"

Tom said, "Yeah, he had brown hair. Wasn't too tall but wasn't short either. Brown eyes, a chunkier one. He stood up and… I think he said something about being sick of hiding and then there was the explosion. I got- I got knocked out of my chair." The man was beginning to sound winded and he winced and grabbed at his arm.

"Sir, are you sure you're all right? I can get a healer-" Harry said as he looked over the man's arm. There wasn't any blood but he appeared to be in pain. He hoped it was merely bruised and not broken.

"No, I'm fine. Or fine enough. I just landed funny. Um, so.. there was an explosion. I don't know what hex he did but it made me fly out of my chair and our table flew and Susan…"

When Harry first began questioning Tom, he kept asking for his wife Susan. Harry assured him that she was probably being questioned or taken to Mungoe's right now and Harry would send Tom along as well as soon as the emergency victims were out. The man was a bit shell-shocked and slightly assuaged, although he kept looking around the room as he was questioned.

"I don't know what happened…" things appeared to be clicking in the man's head and Harry assumed he was replaying the event in his mind. "Where is she?"

"Sir, I told you, we're doing our best to get everyone out of here, you can go to Mungoe's with the next Healers who come back," Harry said patiently.

"No," Tom said, fiercely shaking his head. "No, the table. It went backwards. The force sent me out of my chair but the table went backwards… I didn't see Susan." The man was suddenly growing hysterical as he got up and moved away from Harry.

While one moment everything had been a blur of people coming in and out to help, suddenly everything was in slow motion. Tom was running as fast as he could over to where his table had been. Harry instinctively chased after him. By their table were a healer and Hermione, crouching down.

Tom was beyond hysterics now, and Harry had to grab a hold of him to keep him from getting in the way.

The table lay broken to the side of a young woman, who was limp and covered in blood. The healer was giving her blood replenishing potion but Susan Roberts wasn't responding. Hermione was quickly trying to cast spells that would close her injuries but her calm nature was turning more frantic. The healer was casting charms and pulling out potions out of his bag that Harry had never seen or heard of in all of his years in the Hospital Wing.

Hermione stood up and turned to Harry. She was shaking.

"The blast sent her and the table backwards. It hit her with I'm sure a huge force," Hermione whispered, trying to keep herself in control. "She's bleeding a lot but the worst is that her ribs and lungs… they're just crushed. There's no time to Apparate until he can try and reinflate her lungs but the internal injuries… and we have to be careful of moving her because we can't tell if there are any back injuries or nerve damage and…There's nothing more I can do, the magic's too advanced."

Tom was still yelling for his wife, and Harry allowed him to move closer.

"Tom, we've gotta let him do his work, okay? He needs to help her," Harry said as forcefully but patiently as he could.

The healer looked up at Harry and said, "I need you to move back. She's gotten enough oxygen charms that I'm hoping I can freeze her and Apparate her to Mungoe's. Miss Granger I need you to attend others."

Hermione nodded and looked sickly pale before walking off.

Then the white mist that was coming from his wand was turning into a darker and darker red. The healer was furiously casting charms, but the mist just kept growing a darker red. It was so dark that it was beginning to look a little black. He finally stopped and sighed and Harry looked confused.

"What are you doing?!" Tom yelled. "Do something! You have to do something!"

And that's when Harry realized there was nothing left to be done. The mist was completely black and the healer moved her body so that she was lying straight again. He stood up and cast a quick cleansing charm before turning to Tom.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said. The healer looked at Tom for a moment longer before heading off to the two healers who had just walked in to give them a quick rundown of who had been helped.

Harry tried to continue holding back Tom as he was now sobbing and falling. Harry looked at the young woman on the ground who was just a few years older than him and felt his chest constrict. He felt numb as he saw quick visions of Ginny and then Ron and Hermione being in her place.

"I was sent here," one of the new healers said, breaking Harry out of his daze.

"Er, right. Yes. This man," Harry said as he again tried to lift Tom up, who was beginning to have a hard time breathing or responding, "his arm might be broken and he's, he's in shock. His wife, here, she needs to be sent to Mungoe's morgue." A flash of realization as to the cause of Tom's shock appeared in the healer's eyes.

"Yes, sir," the healer said as he began giving Tom a potion as Harry continued to hold him. Once Tom calmed the healer took him from Harry.

Harry stared in the middle of the scene and couldn't take much more. The restaurant was basically clear of people now as the original batch of healers were back taking those who were not as badly injured to Mungoe's and witnesses were being released.

"You all right, mate?" he heard Ron say, but he didn't register Ron being anywhere close to him.

"Harry… Harry are you all right?" came Hermione's voice from somewhere.

Harry saw the flashing visions of more war, of the never ending war. There would always be more death. He felt himself walking to the Forbidden Forest again. Except this time it didn't matter. It wouldn't change anything. It would always keep happening. More families torn apart. Did Tom and Susan already have a baby? He saw Remus's and Tonks's dead bodies.

"Home." And with that, Harry disappeared.


	21. Not Going Anywhere

"Ginny! Get in here now! It's Harry!" Mrs. Weasley yelled at the back door.

Ginny began sprinting to the house from their makeshift pitch when she suddenly realized she was, in fact, an of age witch.

When she Apparated into the house she saw a dazed Harry being fretted over by her mum.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked as she came up to him and moved the fringe out of his eyes to get a good look at him.

"I don't know. He barely will talk. All he said was it won't end…" Mrs. Weasley walked back to the sink and rinsed off the rag she had been using to wipe the dust and dried blood from Harry's face.

She looked back when Ginny gasped. "Mum, he's got a horrible burn."

"Thank Merlin your brothers had to make something explode everyday…" Her mother muttered under her breath as she looked through her healing potions. "Come on, Harry. Come on, poppet. Let's sit down."

Harry didn't respond but he sat down. He winced when the potion was wiped over his burn and Ginny watched as the practical hole in his arm began to close.

"It'll sting for a while," Mrs. Weasley said, still looking very concerned. "Does he have any more wounds?"

Ginny shook her head and said, "It just looks like some scratches, maybe some bruises."

Mrs. Weasley got up again and brought back another vial. "Now, take him upstairs and see if he'll bathe. He needs to sleep and if there's anything else that needs to be healed. This should do it until he can go to Mungoe's. I'll send a note to Kingsley."

Ginny nodded and turned to Harry. "Harry, you want to go upstairs? Can you go?"

He looked at her and it appeared to be the first time he noticed she was there. "Ginny?" he whispered.

"Yes, Harry. I'm right here. Let's go upstairs," she said as she took his hand.

He didn't respond, but he followed her up the stairs. Ginny stopped and turned when she heard Hermione's voice.

"Oh, thank God. He's here? Should he go to Mungoe's?" Hermione said, sounding a bit frantic.

"No, dear. We'll send him after he gets some rest. He'll be fine, though. Get cleaned up and I want you and Ron to come back here as soon as you can, all right?" Mrs. Weasley said calmly.

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley, we'll come directly after," Hermione said before looking up at Harry and then Disapparating.

Ginny was feeling even more scared after the look on Hermione's face as she led him upstairs and into her bathroom.

"All right, Harry," she said as she began working on his robes. "Let's get washed up." He wasn't much of a help at first but once his work robes were off and he realized a bit more what was going on he helped her pull off his shirt and then work on his pants.

"Um… why don't you leave your boxers on?" she said, wanting to give him some modesty even if nothing would be a great surprise for her. They hadn't shagged yet, but they had gone a lot further than their first go around. She turned around to draw the bath as he pulled off his shoes, socks, and pants. She turned back around just in time to help him in.

She tried very hard not to show emotion as she wiped away at the dry blood and dust. He looked fairly numb, and it scared her. Even after the final battle he was able to act normally. Finally as she cleaned off his glasses for him she said, "Want to talk about what happened?"

He sighed and at first she thought he wasn't going to say anything. "I just… I thought it was over," he finally said. She placed his glassed back on his face and began washing around his burn. "They're all nuts now, if they weren't before. And today there was four of them. They almost blew away Leaky Cauldron." He saw her eyes grow wide and for a moment he saw the young woman, wide-eyed, bloodied, and not breathing on the ground.

He looked down and Ginny took that opportunity to shampoo his hair. There were some moments of silence before she said, "But it's over now?"

"This one is," he said, still not looking up. He began to relax as she massaged his scalp, though. "But it just won't ever end. It feels like everyone died in vain. No one's safe, still. Today wasn't some battle; it was four men who went off their rocker and ended up killing innocent people who were just eating their lunch. It just…"

She could see the emotion build up and she gently leaned him back under the running faucet to rinse his hair. When she sat him back up she said, "The war's over, Harry. This is just… I guess the aftershocks. Things still happened after the first war." He was still looking down, so she lifted his chin so he could look at her. "You can't take this all on yourself. You can't stop every mental job from lashing out, okay? Love, you need to take the world off your shoulders."

He looked down and shook his head. "I had to question this guy and his wife died while I was there. They were just a little bit older than us and… when I watched her die I just kept seeing you, and then Ron and Hermione, and then you again and…" He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm.

Ginny was trying as hard as possible to keep her composure as she watched him rehash what had just happened. "I'm sorry, Harry," she said lamely, not knowing what to say. He had handled all of the death and evil he had seen in his life pretty stoically, she had thought, and now she could see it was wearing on him. "But we're fine, Harry. We'll be fine."

He shook his head and said, "They thought they were fine. That it was over. He said so. They thought they were safe." He choked then as tears began to fall. "I thought it was over. That we're safe. You're safe. If I lost you…"

She leaned closer to him over the tub and touched his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, Harry. I promise you that."

He shook his head and said, "We can't promise that and now all of wizarding England knows we're together. What if some rogue…"

"No," she said firmly, turning his face so he had to look at her. "No, stop thinking that way. Harry there is going to be more skirmishes but they'll die down and there's always going to be bad guys but… but you have to get out of war mode." She felt her own eyes tear up as she continued, "I know it's hard. It's all you've known since coming to Hogwarts but it really is over. You can't keep living and thinking as if Tom is still alive. If you do he wins. He wanted us to be miserable, all of us." Her tears were falling now and she rubbed his cheek with her thumb. "Trust me."

He stared at her and the flash of Ginny lying in the Chamber flashed in front of his eyes, and then he saw her instead of Susan Roberts lying dead in Leaky Cauldron. He closed his eyes tightly and bent his head down. "But…"

"No," she said, more insistently. She tilted his head back up again and said, "Harry you're not going to let them win. You're can't live in worry like that. I know it hurts. Every time I walk by Fred and George's old room it hurts but I know he wouldn't want me to live afraid that someone else will be taken away. You can't." She took a deep breath and wiped at her face. "I'm not letting you. Okay? You deserve your normal life and you're going to have it. This will die down and I know you're strong enough to keep going until it does."

He stared at her but he didn't respond and so she said, "And Ron and Hermione and Neville and everyone else are right there with you. Everyone's rebuilding. Don't take too much on." He at least didn't look numb anymore, but he hadn't responded.

She took another deep breath and stroked his cheek before looking him in the eye. "And I won't be taken away. I'm not going anywhere. I love you, Harry."

She saw something flicker in his eyes before he said matter-of-factly, "You can't say that. Everyone who has ever loved me has been taken away."

She tried to muster a smirk before saying, "Well, I've always enjoyed a challenge."

He shook his head, faintly smiling and looked down. She took his hand and said, "And that's not true. Ron, Hermione, my whole family, Hagrid… and the list could keep going. We're all still here."

He began to feel some relief. She was right. This was the aftershock and it was hard seeing it but it would probably die down. And she said she loved him. He was sure his parents said it when he was a baby, but she was the first he remembered to have ever told him that. In his head he could hear Dumbledore tell him how important Harry's mother's love was in saving him, how important it was that he loved because it separated him from Voldemort, how love was the weapon Voldemort didn't know. He hadn't understood it then, but he thought of seeing Ginny's face before Voldemort sent the killing curse and how it was okay because he knew it would save everyone else, it would save her.

She was looking at him a bit anxiously and he realized he had been silent for a while. It was the first time he remembered someone telling him they loved him, and he was about to muck it up. He slipped a hand behind her neck to lean her into him and kissed her hard. He took her arm to pull her closer and could feel a chuckle almost rise out of him as she squeaked when she splashed into the bathtub, fully clothed. His arm was still hurting and he felt sore all over and he was sure he would see more death and more evil but at the moment he didn't care because she loved him, and he would be all right.

She was holding onto his wrist and his hand on her arm moved to her hair as he continued to kiss her. He finally broke the kiss to get some air and they stared at each other as they regained their breath. He mustered a real smile, and she thought she might melt right there. "I love you, too, Gin," he said, and they were kissing again. Her hand pressed against his bruised chest and he winced, so she pulled away.

She wiped at her face and laughed, saying, "Merlin, I don't know why I'm bloody crying."

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. Minutes ago he felt numb and hopeless, and now he felt full of life and optimism. He wasn't even thinking about his arm but she pulled away again.

"I really should put the potion on it now," she said as she reached over to the countertop and grabbed the vial. She began dabbing different bruised and scratched areas and Harry was relieved it stung a lot less then when Mrs. Weasley healed his burn.

He then smiled at her and said, "I really love you." He was pleasantly surprised that she blushed.

"I love you," she said smiling. "And I don't think that's going to get old."

"Nope," he said as he leaned over her and kissed her neck. "I love you…" he whispered, and she began leaning back so far that she completely leaned back into the bathwater.

"Harry, you're getting me all wet!" she squeaked again as she tried to push him off of her, although she did it much more gently then usual because she was worried about his still healing bruises and other wounds.

"Well, that's generally my plan…" he said, not acting as if he was going to let up.

"Ugh, you're such a teenage boy, Harry," she said, pushing him a bit harder this time so she could sneak out from under him. She managed to pull herself out of the bathtub, but it wasn't as graceful as she would have liked.

"Come on, Harry," she said, giving him her hand. "My mum wanted you to get some sleep before going to Mungoe's and I'm sure the Ministry again."

He sighed and pulled himself out, following her to Ron's room.

"Now…" she said, opening one of the drawers. "You still have extra clothes here, right?" She handed him clothes as she found them and soon enough he was redressed and they were walking back to Ginny's room.

He climbed into her bed as she changed into dry clothes. She took off his glasses and slipped in beside him. She still felt worried about him as some of his worry lines returned. She gently rubbed his head and he said with his eyes still closed, "I love you, Ginny."

"I love you, too," she said softly. Soon his breathing slowed and she could tell he was fast asleep. She rested her head back against the headboard and gave a sigh of relief. She waited a few more minutes to make sure he was truly asleep before slipping out of her room and downstairs to tell her mum how he was. However, she couldn't stop replaying the sound of him saying he loved her in her head, and she no longer cared that she ended up saying it first.


	22. Make Some Good Memories

"Hey," Hermione said quietly as she walked into Ron's room.

They were at the Burrow for a dinner for the girls' last night in town. Hermione had convinced her parents to let her spend the night at the Burrow so she could just go with Ginny the next morning, and she was so glad now because it gave her extra time with Ron.

After dinner Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny hung out downstairs for hours before finally making their way upstairs. Hermione decided to take her bath that night instead of the morning and so she didn't follow Ron into his room, but since Harry hadn't come in either, Ron was pretty sure Harry was going to sleep in Ginny's room and Hermione would sleep in his. They didn't really need to talk about it.

"So, I guess we're going to go back to how we slept the beginning of the summer?" Ron asked as he lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

Hermione noticed the hint of apprehension and had a good idea where it came from. "Worried about Harry and Ginny, are you?" Hermione asked, stopping a few feet from his bed and crossing her arms. "You know if you're so worried about two of age people in a consensual relationship sleeping together I can go sleep in there and Harry can come back in here…"

Ron sat up quickly at that, and reached for her hand. "No… it's okay. I'll just, I'll try not to think about it," he said, wincing at the thought and trying to shake the image of Harry and Ginny out of his head. "Maybe you can distract me?" he said, waggling his eyebrows.

She smirked and said, "And how would you like me to go about doing that?" as she let him settle her into his lap.

"Well," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "I was thinking, since we're not going to see each other for over a month and a half, maybe we could…"

She cocked an eyebrow and said helpfully, "Make some good memories?"

He smirked and said, "You know, that's exactly the way I was going to put it."

She smirked as well. "I'm so sure."

His smirk turned into a smile as he leaned in and kissed her. They kissed for several moments, hands exploring, before Hermione pulled away for breath and rested her forehead on his.

"Merlin, I'll miss you," Ron said, wrapping his arms more tightly.

She felt her eyes water and she was very frustrated at herself for getting emotional over that statement. "Really?" she asked.

He pulled back so he could look at her and said, "Course. What will I do without you nagging me all the time?"

She hit him on the arm, harder than he thought she would if she were joking, and pulled back a little more, "And just when I think you're going to be the least bit romantic, Ronald…"

"Hey…" he said as he struggled to pull her closer. "I was kidding. I mean, come on, other than once last year we haven't been apart for over a month in years. It'll be weird not being around you."

She crossed her arms and said, "You need to try a little harder than that, Ronald."

It was either very bad or very good when she called him Ronald, and right now he was thinking it was the former.

He sighed and his mind scrambled for the right words to say. He kissed her shoulder and said, "I'm going to miss kissing you, and you kissing me. I'm going to miss waking up next to me. Your laugh and smile, even the look on your face when you're pissed at me. Even you saying "Ronald." The way you still do things the Muggle way sometimes. I'm going to miss walking in to you reading." He kissed her neck and said, "I'm going to miss your hair…"

She rolled her eyes and snorted, smiling though. "Honestly, my hair?"

"Yeah," he said incredulously. "I love you hair. And your face…" he said, kissing her cheek, "and of course, these." She giggled and rolled her eyes as he copped a feel.

"Do you believe me now that I sounded enough like a bird?" he asked, trying his 'forgive me' face on her.

She smiled and said, "Well, I'm pretty sure you sounded very much like a boy with that last one."

"Who I promise will miss his girlfriend very much…." he whispered before kissing her neck again. Every time they snogged he tried to make up for the lost time, and now he had every intention of showing her how much he would miss her and give them something good to remember over the next month and a half. He noticed the room feeling chillier, that they were both removing clothes, and the feeling of skin meeting skin, but he didn't realize they were both nearly starkers until she was only in her knickers and he was only in his boxers and settled between her thighs.

He didn't want her to think he was rushing her and get mad, and so he kissed her and began pulling away. As he pulled away he was able to see her face and the look of surprise and maybe a bit of hurt in it. Yep, you've gone too fast and screwed it all up, he thought. "Blimey, Mione. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go too fast I just-"

"Too fast?" she asked, confused. "I'm ready."

He looked flabbergasted. "Um…y-you're what?"

She blushed, the boldness beginning to fade. "I'm ready, Ron, to… to take the next step." She tried to appear as confidant as she could even though she was squirming on the inside.

"To..." he said, not really believing the situation he was in.

She nodded. "Yes."

"Are you sure?" he asked, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry.

"Yes, I'm sure. Do you not want to?" She suddenly began feeling very self-conscious and wanted nothing more than to cover up.

He looked as if she had just insulted him. "What? Of course I do. I've wanted to since I was fourteen. Do you know how hard it's been to-"

She tried to grab his hand to stop him, and when it didn't work she covered his mouth. "All right, then," she said authoritatively. "Go ahead and kiss me."

"Fine," he said looking cross for a moment before realizing what could be about to happen. He cupped her cheek gently and kissed her before pulling back quickly and saying, "I love you, 'Mione. More than anything, you know."

She smiled and looked down to fend off a blush. She looked back up at him again, saw the reverent look in his eye, and whispered, "I know."

They began kissing again and as they leaned back against the bed Hermione, ever the mindful one, reached for her wand to perform a few responsible spells before forgetting it for the night.

_Author's Note:_ _Sorry it's been a while! I've been busy and had major writer's block. Even now I'm not satisfied with this chapter but I really need to move on. Sorry to leave you hanging!_


	23. Another Goodbye

Harry kissed her hard, but was interrupted by the snapping bulbs. He rested his forehead against Ginny's as he sighed. "Sorry…" he muttered.

She smiled at him and then eyed the press as she pulled away. "Don't be. We figured they would be here what with Hogwarts starting back up."

"Yes… I expect they wanted to see something else, too," he grumbled as more flashes went off, this time accompanied with "Harry! Give us a comment on your girl!" or "Harry! Will you miss not going back to Hogwarts?" or "Harry! Why aren't you going back? Too many bad memories?"

Ginny smirked and said, "Oh, shut it. Not everything is about you, Harry. Honestly, I think you've gotten a rather big head ever since you became the vanquisher of Voldemort."

Harry chuckled a bit and tried to shush her. "Shh, they'll hear you and not know you're joking."

She raised an eyebrow and with a playful glint in her eye said, "Who said I was?"

He leaned in and kissed her again and whispered. "We met here seven years ago to the day. Well… technically."

She laughed a bit and looked down, tears forming in her eyes. Harry frowned. "You were crying then, too."

"I'm not crying," she said as she wiped at her eyes. "The steam from the train… it's just burning my eyes."

He laughed and said "Right" as he pulled her in for a hug, trying to shield her from the photographers nearby.

"Send me back a toilet seat?" he said and she laughed.

"Where did you hear that?" she asked, looking shocked as she pulled back enough to see him.

"I… sort of overheard all of you after I got on the train. I hadn't really ever seen a family like yours or many magical people," he replied.

"Mmm… well I suppose a mass of redheads is a bit out of the ordinary, especially when you knew almost nothing about magic or Hogwarts and we were all spouting off about it," she said before giggling. "I remember your face before you ran through the platform. You had no idea! Scared shitless."

Harry scoffed and said, "I wasn't scared! Well, much. You try running full force into a wall that you think is solid."

She smiled and gave him a chaste kiss. "It's almost 11."

He sighed and said "I love you" before giving her another kiss.

"I love you, too."

He slowly unwrapped his arms and watched as she hugged her mum and dad and then Ron.

"This is the first year the three of us won't be together," he heard Hermione say next to him.

Harry stuffed his hands in his pockets and watched the scene in front of him. "It's going to be really weird without you there with us."

Hermione wringed her hands and turned to him and said, "You two will be careful, won't you?"

"I promise to at least try not to get killed," Harry said, a smile on his face. It was obvious that was not a good enough answer for Hermione. He laughed and said, "I promise we'll be as careful as we usually are."

She sighed and said, "That's exactly what I am afraid of…"

He laughed and pulled her in for a hug, trying not to round on the photographers now gleefully taking their picture.

"Ginny, Hermione, dears, you better hurry and get on the train before it leaves," Mrs. Weasley said warmly.

Hermione quickly kissed Harry on the cheek and said, "Be safe," before giving Ron another hug and kiss once he had walked away from Ginny.

Harry stared at Ginny as she levitated her trunk. "Love you," he said.

She smiled and Hermione walked up beside Ginny with her own trunk. "Now, don't go taking up with any Veelas."

It was bittersweet hearing her say that. "I don't think there will be much time for that."

She nodded and looked a bit mindfully at the reporters still there. The train whistled. "We should go," she said, and the girls quickly made their way toward the train.

"I'll see you at your first game. I promise," he called after her.

"I'll be looking for you," she called back as they boarded the train. Moments later she was in a compartment and at the window.

As the train began to move Harry took a few more steps to wave, watching her wave back from the window for as long as he could before her compartment and the bit of red vanished into the tunnel.

He felt Ron clap a hand on his back. "Come on, mate," Ron said.

Harry stared at the train a little bit longer, barely noticing a few more flashbulbs going off, before turning around and following the Weasleys out of King's Cross.


	24. Long Distance Correspondence

__

Author's note: I'm sorry it has been practically forever since I have updated any of my stories. I had the worst writer's block and a busy schedule to match it. I started rereading Half-Blood Prince the other day and decided I should just go ahead and post this chapter and try to move on. I have chapters from way far down the road in all three stories done, it's just getting there! Hopefully I can post about the game soon. When I left on, Hermione and Ginny were off to Hogwarts and Harry and Ron were off to training and missions.

_

* * *

_

_September 15th_

_Gin,_

_Let me start off with some apologizing. Sorry it took me longer to reply, we were on a wild goose chase in Wales. It's like when the Aurors were trying to find Sirius and they were getting all of those wrong clues. Also, sorry about that story about Kelsey and I. All the trainees go to lunch and sometimes it's outside the Ministry. I swear nothing's going on. I mean the bloody pictures had the rest of the trainees in it._

_So, how's it being back? Have you had the tryouts and everything?_

_I'll definitely be at the first game. I miss you a lot. I'm doing better than Ron. I think it's because of last year. He's been a prick the past two weeks. How's Hermione? I know how she _says_ she is, but how is she really? We've gotten letters about everyday from her. I don't know how Ron's going to keep up because he's gotten even more than I have and their short novels._

_Don't stop sending your letters when I can't get back to you. They were nice to come home to._

_Well, there's really nothing interesting that I can write by owl, so I'll leave it here. I love you and miss you loads._

_-Harry_

_September 16th_

_Harry,_

_Just do me a favor and let me know you're safe, okay? It killed me last year not knowing what was going on with you. Even if it's just one line of parchment._

_And don't apologize about the Prophet. They're just starting to stir something up. _

_Now that Hermione doesn't have you and Ron to look after she's always on my case. She even got me that talking planner. It's so hard putting up with all of the schoolwork when I know I just want to play Quidditch. I sort of wish I could just quit like you, Ron, Fred and George._

_But, I know, I should take this year to practice and I am more likely to get on a team if Gryffindor does well this year…but I'm just so sick of Potions and, at times, even Herbology. I wish I had a tenth of Neville's interest in Herbology. Class would be way more enjoyable._

_The workload hasn't been too bad, though. Ritchie and Jack luckily practiced for this year, and we have a new Seeker so I can focus on Chaser. It's not in the bag but we have a chance._

_Do me a favor and don't get caught up with any Veelas while you're traipsing around England being a hero._

_Love, _

_Ginny_

_I'm out of town now but I should be home in the next two days if it all works out. I'm safe. Love you, miss you._

_H_

_September 17th_

_Harry,_

_I'm sure you won't get this for a few days from the look of your last letter. Thanks for checking in. Neville, Luna, and I are throwing a birthday party for Hermione this weekend. I can't believe you all will be turning 19!_

_George sent me his first product he's made since Fred died. It's the newest in the skiving line and I'm a little afraid to try it. He said they were already playing with it before Fred died but I don't know who he tested the last trials on. I don't want to end up with permanent dragon pox._

_Love you and I hope you're home safe soon._

_Ginny_

_No luck yet. I'll write more when I can. Love you._

_H_

_Back home but we'll be in the Ministry all day. One down, who knows how many more to go. Love you._

_H_

_September 21st_

_Gin,_

_How was Hermione's party? Ron was mad that we got back later and his present didn't get to her in time. Did she like it? _

_I had a faulty memory spell thrown at me and they wanted me to stay at the Ministry for the day while they ran every test possible to make sure it didn't mess up my brain. No damage, so don't worry. We got the bugger and he should be in Azkaban for a while._

_Good to hear about the team. I'm sure you'll bring them all together. And don't worry about any Veelas. I still don't really have the time to spend with them._

_Before you hex my next letter, I'm just taking the mickey. There's only you._

_I better get back to training. Tell Hermione happy birthday for me._

_Love you,_

_Harry_

_September 22nd_

_Harry,_

_I better be the only one, and you better not be lying that there's no damage. I know you don't want me to worry but don't sugar-coat it, ok?_

_Hermione's birthday party was fun while it lasted. She's wound up so tight right now. It ended up being more of an… after dinner dessert thing. I guess it was a school night, but still._

_She was all smiles yesterday, though. She loves the necklace and I think she was a bit shocked that Ron actually remembered her favorite candy. _

_I miss you. Have you seen Teddy lately? Or George? If you could do me a favor and check in on George or have Ron do it…. I just can't tell how he is from his letters._

_All my love,_

_Ginny_

* * *

"Bugger it all," Harry said as he collapsed on his bed.

Ron was standing in the doorway, rubbing his own neck and shoulder. "Stinging hex still got you?"

"Yeah," Harry said, groaning as he tried to turn over.

"The training and missions are brutal," Ron said before suddenly wincing as he rubbed a spot that he could only assume was bruised. "Argh, no one else had to go on missions when training."

"No one else gets to skip two years of training," Harry noted as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah, well, I wish we could at least have it all healed," Ron muttered as he headed back towards his room in Grimmauld Place. For any major injuries, broken bones, or injuries that could seriously hinder them in fight, they received treatment. For the bruises and gashes and burns they had to just heal without magic so they could hopefully become more immune to pain. Harry hated to admit that it was working. The stinging spell he took today still hurt, but not as bad as the first few he got when they started the shifts of training and missions.

Harry slipped on his glasses and looked over to his nightstand at the picture of Ginny smiling and laughing at him. He smiled softly for a moment before pulling himself out of bed.

He slowly put his jacket back on and yelled, "Going to Andromeda's."

Ron came back out of his room and said, "You're not seriously going. We have to be back at the Ministry at 4:30. It's the first time we've been able to eat and have a full night's sleep in weeks."

"Yeah, and I haven't seen Teddy almost that whole time. He'll probably be asleep by 7 or 8 anyways. I'll get plenty of sleep," Harry said as he walked down the hallway.

Harry hadn't grown up around children other than Dudley's friends, and he definitely had never watched a child grow up from infancy. Every time he saw Teddy he was a little more shocked about how much he had grown.

Today was no different. Teddy had fire engine red hair and was sitting on his own. He was rambling incoherent noises and sputtering away. He even didn't fall asleep quite as early as he usually did.

Andromeda watched Harry handle Teddy with a knowing look. She could tell how hard he was trying, and she was amused by how self-conscious he was.

After conversations regarding his Auror stories and comparing them to Tonks's missions and training as he drew hot water to clean off the pacifier Teddy dropped, Andromeda mused, "Harry, you're an eighteen-year-old boy. When did you turn into an adult?"

Harry looked back at her for a second and said with a slight laugh, "Yeah, I dunno." As he turned back to the sink he muttered, "Probably 11, 14 at the latest."

_

* * *

_

"Not asleepyet, either?" Ginny said as she walked into the Head Girl's room.

Hermione sighed and looked up from her book. "No. As usual. How many days has it been since you've gotten a letter?"

Ginny hopped up onto the bed. "Four."

Hermione yawned, which turned into another sigh, before saying, "Same."

Ginny smirked just a smidge. It was always the same day count for them, and Hermione continued to ask. "They're fine," Ginny said assertively. "They're just busy and forgetful."

"We're busy, too! We have all of this studying for NEWTs and I have my Head Girl duties and you have your Quidditch," Hermione said, illiciting a rueful smile from Ginny at the "your Quidditch" remark. "I thought it would be easier this year."

"It is. At least it's not Voldemort we and a corrupt Ministry we have to deal with. It's just... last year we didn't expect to hear anything. We weren't waiting for it, I guess," Ginny said as she sunk into Hermione's bed.

Hermione glanced over at Ginny and said, "Do you want to stay here tonight?" When Ginny couldn't fall asleep she usually would come down to Hermione's room to talk and Hermione was almost always awake, too. It didn't help that Ginny had Romilda Vane bugging her about Harry and whether they were still together and when was the last time she heard from him and why had it been so long since he last wrote her if he supposedly loved her and so on. The other girls would just try to get details about Harry and what it was like dating him and if all of the stories were true. The only person who didn't annoy the living daylights out of her was Vicky Frobisher, and that was because Vicky was on the Quidditch team and smart enough to never ask about Harry. Hermione, on the other hand, could get lonely at times. She would eat with Ginny, Neville, and Luna, but it was odd not studying in the Gryffindor Common Room. She got along with Eddie Carmichael, the Head Boy, but she never had gotten to know him very well. She welcomed that Ginny would often come down to the Heads' Common Room to study instead to get away from prying eyes. It had gotten to the point that Hermione gave Ginny the password every time it changed, and Neville, Luna, and Ginny would often hang out ior study n the Heads' Commons Room. If Ginny came to talk late at night, she would usually end up sleeping there to avoid getting caught and to avoid her roommates. The years of sharing Ginny's room made Hermione not mind. She also realized she had missed being able to talk to a girl about things, and if anyone understood her Ginny did. They were close before the war and the fact that they were both in the same relationship situation only helped.

"Yeah, if you don't mind," Ginny said as she fixed the covers and settled into bed. It was a routine now and she didn't expect Hermione to object.

"No, of course not," Hermione said as she studied Ginny, who was deep in thought. "Why can't you sleep?" she asked tentatively.

Ginny pulled her knees up to her chest and said, "Do you think this will ever just be over? I know there had to be an after, and a rebuilding, but it doesn't feel like the war ended at all. And... and well Harry won't stop fighting with full speed until he thinks it is. I just... it's hard."

"You're not thinking of breaking-" Hermione said, but Ginny stopped her.

"Oh, Merlin, no. No. I can handle it and I will handle it, I just hate waiting. I hate not knowing. And... and I sort of hate that everything is going to go back to normal for so many people and it might never for us. I mean my whole family is so deep into it and Harry... I just feel like that even when it's over it won't be over. I know that they can't get rid of all the bad guys forever, but a break would be nice. A real peaceful calm," Ginny said before pausing and adding, "I guess I'm just worried that after we graduate it will still be this way. That we still have years of we'll work through it but... I just wish we didn't have to." She sighed and said, "It sounds selfish when I say it out loud."

Hermione put her book down and sunk into the bed. "No, I know. We've already been fighting for so long. It's practically all Harry and I know of the Wizarding world. It'll settle down, I'm sure. Part of the reason why Ron and Harry are so busy is because they're on missions and training at the same time. It'll be easier come this summer. There will be fewer Death Eaters and they will be done with training. It's just one more year."

Ginny was staring straight ahead, looking unconvinced. "I don't know," she said quietly. She looked over at Hermione and said, "Tonks said it was one of those jobs where it's hard to have a normal life. She didn't date very much and all of her friends ended up being Aurors or in the Order. You can't name many Aurors who had a life outside of fighting Dark Wizards."

Hermione was quiet then. She didn't know much about any Aurors outside of their job. The only married Aurors she knew were the Longbottoms and Tonks, and they were dead. Ginny noticed the silence and suddenly felt guilty. Hermione was a worrier without the added stress Ginny was giving. "But Harry and Ron were doing both as kids, right? They can do both as adults. And there's no more Voldemort to start wars and they are rounding up a lot of the Death Eaters. I'm just overworrying."

Hermione glanced at Ginny and asked, "Do you really believe that?"

Ginny nodded and said, "I'm going to."

_

* * *

Miss you._

_-H_

_October 20__th_

_Harry,_

_I can barely wait until November to see you. Are you sure you can still come to the first game? What if you have a mission? Just let me know. _

_Everyone is buzzing about Halloween. I walked past some first years the other day telling each other the rumors they've heard about the Great Hall. Those were the days, huh?_

_I saw you in the paper again the other day. It was about how you are spending too much time at the Three Broomsticks because of Rosmerta. Now really, Harry. If you're going to cheat you could do much better. I know Ron fancied her a bit but she's so much older than us!_

_I also have been looking into those ways of seeing each other but it's very hard when you are not at Hogwarts and yet still have the map. What good does it do for you? Are you acting stalkerish and watching my dot again?_

_Love you,_

_Ginny_

_October 30__th_

_Gin,_

_I will be sure to bring the map when I SEE YOU at the game. Of course I will be at the season opener. Gryffindor v. Slytherin games are the best, especially now that I don't have to see smug Malfoy. _

_The good part about the missions is it's still travelling, even if we don't exactly see the sights. When you graduate we should just take off some time and just escape everything. Take a break._

_I will try to hide my affairs with landladies better. Speaking of which… have you gotten Neville to crack on Hannah yet?_

_Can't wait to see you. Love you._

_Harry_

_November 1__st_

_Harry,_

_The Halloween Feast was amazing as usual. Last year's was so dreary and anticlimactic, so I think McGonagall really tried to bring it up a notch._

_Neville refuses to say a word. Do you really think he fancies her? He's usually open to me about that sort of thing. Maybe he's worried I'll tell you and you'll tell Ron. _

_Travelling around the country or world, just you and me? Sounds brilliant._

_The team is really shaping up. The game should be a good one. Let me know if you'll be gone. I guess the first Hogsmeade weekend is soon enough... but of course I want to see you sooner. Hermione definitely misses Ron, too. All of the bossing around she did to him is definitely fueling into her Head Girl duties. Not as bad as Percy, though, thanks to you and Ron being bad influences._

_Only two more weeks!_

_Love,_

_Ginny_

_November 12th_

_Harry,_

_You know you're supposed to respond, even if it is barely anything. Stop waiting 10 or more days. You're freaking me out._

_Love, _

_Ginny_

_Yes, mum. I'm fine. Just busy. I want to say a lot but I don't have time for long letters and the short ones don't seem good enough._

_I really miss you, though. I need your laugh._

_Love,_

_Harry_

_November 14__th_

_Harry,_

_I'll forgive you this time. I just like knowing your alive._

_TWO DAYS!!!! Can you tell I can barely contain my excitement? _

_I need all of you, both in the dirty way that that just sounded like and the more innocent intention I had in my head as I wrote it. Are you back yet? Will you make the game?_

_Love you and miss you,_

_Ginny_

_A little held up. Hoping we'll get back tonight._

_Love-Harry_


	25. Go! Go! Gryffindor!

"Don't be so nervous. It's not as if this is you're first game," Hermione said before taking a bite of her oatmeal.

Ginny, on the other hand, had lost her appetite. "It's my first as captain."

"It should be a good game. The triple-winged skornplats haven't come out yet," Luna said wistfully.

Neville peered over at Luna before saying, "Well… at least you'll get to see Harry and Ron."

Hermione perked up at that comment. She had been in much better spirits all morning.

That thought was not completely relaxing to Ginny, however. Ron was her older brother, and it would be a little stressful knowing he would be watching and judging. Harry was the last captain and would grab attention. She would again be Harry Potter's girlfriend. She was never too keen on being judged against her brothers. She always wanted to set herself apart. She definitely wasn't going to be keen on being judged against her boyfriend or known merely for being his girlfriend and being a Weasley. Usually she could keep a cool head and just do her best to set herself apart without stressing as much as Ron would, but today her stomach was in knots.

"Yeah, yeah that'll be nice," she said. She stared at her barely touched breakfast a moment longer before jumping up and saying, "I think I'm just going to go ahead and hit the pitch. I'll see you after the game."

"Good luck!" Hermione and Neville said to Ginny's retreating backside.

Before changing into her Quidditch uniform she made a few laps around the pitch. She smiled at the ease of flying with the Firebolt. The flying helped clear her mind of the upcoming game. Instead of stressful thoughts, she imagined playing for a team some day, maybe even the Harpies if she was lucky. As her imagination ran wild she felt the stress melt away and she finally came down so she could change into her Quidditch uniform and get ready for her pre-game speech.

It wasn't long before the players began filing in, and soon they were dressed and the beginning of the crowd could be heard from the locker room. Ginny stared at the group, feeling a bit of the nervousness come back. She tried to push it down.

"This is the first game we've played in over a year. It's the first game without Harry Potter on the team in eight years, unless you count the temporary suspension. It's the first game without more than one Weasley in eight years. It's the first game since we got the Quidditch Cup a year and a half ago. It's the first rivalry game of the year and the first game of the year. For some of you, it's your first game period," Ginny said calmly as she looked over the group. The new faces looked nervous, the old players nodded in agreement.

A glint formed in her eye as she smiled and said, "And it's the first game in decades that we know, without a doubt, that Voldemort is gone." Most shivered at the sound of his name. "It's the first game since the school was a battleground. Some of us were there and all of us know friends and family who were. So, if you don't mind, I'd like for us to play for the Gryffindors who died that night. For the countless Gryffindors who died for the cause since Voldemort came to power. For the Gryffindors who fought and survived. For our former teammates who fought. For our parents and teachers who fought. Today we can celebrate the freedom from Voldemort's power by just playing Quidditch without even winning. Hogwarts is the greatest school for binding together, regardless of house, to fight that battle. Celebrate by playing a good game. You've done great in practice, you can do great today and this whole season."

Her smile grew into a smirk as she said louder, "But let's show them which house is the greatest house. Let's play for all of the brave and noble Gryffindors, from Professor Dumbledore to the Potters to Colin Creevey, who sacrificed so we can live without Voldemort's reign. Let's make them proud and let's make all of the Gryffindors in the stands proud. Let's show Slytherin which house is the better house today, and let's show the school which is the best house by winning today and starting a season that will lead us to keeping the Quidditch and House cups! GO! GO!"

"GRYFFINDOR!" the team shouted back.

Ginny motioned for them to get up as she yelled, "GO! GO!"

"GRYFFINDOR!" they yelled as they picked up their brooms and started lining up to leave the locker room.

"GO! GO!" Ginny yelled one more time as they walked to the exit.

"GRYFFINDOR!" And with that they were out of the locker room, mounted on their brooms, and taking to the pitch.

There was a roar from the crowd as they made a lap around the pitch. Some of it was a loud round of boos from the Slytherin side, but "Go! Go! Gryffindor!" could clearly be heard from the Gryffindor side.

Ginny swelled as they made their lap around the pitch. She missed the game day rush and she was glad that she had rallied the team. She glanced over at Hogwarts, no longer broken, and glanced at the Gryffindor crowd. She took a deep breath and whispered, "All right, Fred. I hope you're watching," before swooping down to Madam Hooch and the two teams. She looked up to notice two empty spots next to Hermione and McGonagall in the visitor's section but shook it off. She needed to focus.


	26. The First Match of the Year

"Fuck, shit, damnit!" Harry yelled as he pulled on his sweater and hopped into the living room.

"Yup, we're going to be late," Ron said as he yawned.

"Thanks for the reminder," Harry grumbled as he buttoned up his jeans and buckled his belt. He then went about trying to find his shoes.

"Here they are Master Potter," Kreacher said helpfully as he presented Harry's shoes.

"For the last time, Kreacher, it's just Harry. Okay?" Harry said, sounding slightly annoyed as he tried to quickly put on and tie his shoes.

"It won't be the last time…." Ron muttered as he waited.

Harry had a longer debriefing last night, getting in at about four that morning. He overslept, and Ron managed to be ready long before Harry.

Harry threw on his coat and stuffed a granola bar into the pocket. "Why didn't you wake me up, anyways?"

"I didn't know you were still asleep!" Ron said as he got up. "See you in Hogsmeade?"

"Yeah." And with a pop, they both appeared in Hogsmeade.

"Shite, the game's had to have started by now," Harry said as he tried to hurry up to Hogwarts. He was almost floored that Hagrid was waiting like he said.

"Hagrid, thank Merlin. How long have you been waiting?" Harry asked, almost out of breath from hurrying up to the grounds.

"Half hour or so. Can hear it okay from here, though. C'mon. Yeh missed a lot of goals," Hagrid said as he turned back up the grounds, Fluffy at his side and Harry and Ron behind him.

Harry noticed as Ron had a little hop in his step now, and was looking much happier as they made their way to the pitch. They barely made it into the box for professors and visitors when Hermione had practically tackled him.

Harry waited as she hugged him, they kissed, they continued kissing, and McGonagall coughed. They pulled away and blushed.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're safe," Hermione said before hugging him tightly again. She opened her eyes, seeing Harry for what he was guessing was the first time.

"Harry!" she exclaimed before hugging him as well. "It's so good to see you! Oh, I'm so glad you two could make it. I've missed you both!"

She turned back to Ron again and took his hand. They were both beaming, and Ron said softly, "Missed you," before giving her another quick kiss.

"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, it is good of you to come. Now, if you two could please sit down, Gryffindor is winning 50 to 30," McGonagall said calmly with a slight smile on her face.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall," Harry and Ron said in unison as they sat next to Hermione.

"Good, they're winning. How're they doing?" Ron asked, now zoned into the game and not really thinking about how it was _Hermione_ that he was asking.

"Well," Hermione said. "Ginny's gotten two of the goals. I don't think she has figured out Bellamy's weakness yet. Ritchie's gotten a lot better. He almost knocked the Slytherin's Seeker off of his broom and he kept a Slytherin Chaser from scoring."

The two looked at Hermione, surprised. "What?" she said. "I've only had to listen to you two for going on eight years and the only person who talks about Quidditch as much as, or more than, you two is Ginny."

Ron grinned and wrapped his arm around her. "Finally! She's hooked."

"I am _not_ hooked," she scoffed.

Harry chuckled and looked out at the pitch again. It was weird watching the Gryffindor team. It was a team he hadn't practiced with. He didn't recognize some of the players. He wasn't even watching it from the Gryffindor stands.

His eyes immediately locked on the flash of red hair. He watched as Vicky Frobisher got the ball and Ginny apparently called a play. Sixty to thirty. He watched as Jimmy Peakes knocked a Bludger that was heading her way. He watched as she watched the scene and maneuvered to keep in time with Slytherins passing the ball. Gryffindor's Keeper, Aislin Flanagan, saved a goal and it was back in Slytherin's hands. Harry chewed his lip as he watched the next play. It seemed complicated with maneuvering from every player but the Flanagan and Jimmy. Ritchie cut off one Slytherin Chaser, George Leremy, before going back to following a Bludger. Demelza Robins passed the ball to Vicky before setting a screen in front of Slytherin Chaser Louis Stephens. Vicky passed it back to Ginny before setting a screen in front of Slytherin Chaser Colton Ellis to leave only Ginny and the Keeper, Marcus Bellamy. Gryffindor's Seeker, Matthew Collins, cut off the Leremy after Ritchie went back to watching for Bludgers. With Ritchie back, Jimmy quickly cut off Stephens before going back to going after Bludgers. Harry couldn't see it, but Ginny was smirking slightly before aiming the ball.

"It's going to go too far ri-" Harry yelled before realizing he had been tricked as well.

"And another Gryffindor goal as Robbins catches Weasley's ball, which Bellamy went right for, and slings it down and to the left! Seventy to thirty, Gryffindor!" the announcer bellowed. The boy announcing looked a few years younger than Harry. Harry was a bit disappointed that Luna wasn't announcing again before digesting the trick play that left Demelza wide open with the Keeper at the farthest goal from the one she was aiming for.

Play went a while longer with no score. Harry quickly searched the field but saw no signs of the Snitch and it was obvious Collin was doing the same. He then watched as Ginny edged up to a Slytherin Chaser and tried to strip the ball. A well executed Bludger from Ritchie knocked both of them off edge, sending the ball flying. Ginny immediately dove for it.

"Come on… come on…." Harry whispered, leaning forward against the railing to get a better view. "Just a little more…"

Ginny flattened herself as much as she could, going faster than she ever had for Snitch thanks to the new broom, and scooped the ball before it hit the ground.

A mix of cheers and groans came loudly from the crowd. Harry jumped up and pumped his fist into the air. "That's the Seeker in her!" he yelled before high fiving Ron and sitting down.

"Came back to watch your old team play, huh?" the man sitting next to Harry said.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah. My girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, is that Chaser there and captain. I came to watch her play," Harry said, turning back to the game.

"Thomas Fitzpatrick," the man said, extending his hand.

"Harry Potter," Harry said politely, before shaking his hand and trying to turn back to the game.

"Yeah, I know who you are. I hear you were a pretty good player, yourself. Youngest player in a century? Best Gryffindor Seeker since Charlie Weasley, maybe even better than him. Why are you doing Auror work and not playing for a pro team?" Fitzpatrick asked.

Harry continued to watch the game cheering as Ginny passed the Quaffle to Vicky, who then scored. "Um, well, I just really want to be an Auror. I think that's what I'm meant to do. I mean, I loved it. I love it, I do. But I kinda realized it's not…"

"Your passion?" Fitzpatrick helped.

"Yeah, yeah. My passion. I loved playing and I love flying but I didn't really like being captain all that much. I like watching it, too, but it's not like Ginny there. I mean, she just really gets it, you know?" Harry said shaking his head and then groaning as Slytherin scored. Eighty-fourty.

"How do you mean?" Fitzpatrick asked as he tried to follow the game as well.

"Well, she came from a whole family of Quidditch players. She's had a brother play every position. She wasn't allowed to play with them because she's the youngest and their only girl, at least I'm guessing that's why, so she snuck their brooms out and taught herself on all the different brooms. She's… uh… feisty. Ron, here, didn't even know she had been doing it until she made the team. She's a pretty good Seeker, and she's won a few big games for us as Seeker, but she's an unbelievable Chaser. She just won't give up and she's always looking for holes and the Keeper's weakness. I guarantee you she made up that play with the fake and the screens. She just really zones in when she's watching Quidditch. She's always thinking. I took her to a Muggle game, football, this summer. It's kind of like Quidditch except on the ground and with your feet. Anyway, she was the same way watching that," Harry said a bit excitedly as it looked like Gryffindor might score again, but was blocked. "She never got stuck in one position because she taught herself, she knows them all. With that one play the Beaters were able to get away in just enough time, and only one at a time, without sacrificing protecting the players. That play used them for just the right amount. And using the Seeker was a risky move, but he was used for the shortest amount of time and most of the time you're just waiting up there, trying to keep focused on finding the Snitch instead of watching your teammates anyways. I'm sure she told him that if he even thought he saw the tiniest of gold flashes to abort it immediately."

"It's a big risk," Fitzpatrick reiterated seriously.

"Yeah, well, that's how she is. As captain she can be gutsy. The worst she did when I was captain was fly into the announcer's booth 'accidentally' because the announcer was full of shite. Merlin, he was the worst," he said with a laugh.

Fitzpatrick raised his eyebrows.

"But I mean, that was a couple of years ago… you know? She was fifteen, and all," Harry quickly said. "Oh, and with that play… all of the screens and the assist? Yeah, it was pretty good."

Fitzpatrick smiled and said, "Took a lot of thought, huh?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I've seen a lot of new plays. The whole family is brilliant, they just use it differently. When you've got one that's a cursebreaker and Ron can beat anyone in chess and two, um, I mean one that's an inventor and two Head Boys and all of that, you can imagine. Hers really comes out with Quidditch strategy. That and Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms. Man, she has a mean hex," Harry said before cheering again as Ginny made a goal after a few failed attempts by Gryffindor. She stopped for a few seconds and said something to Demelza before clapping her back and moving on to try and counter the Slytherin Chasers. Gryffindor blocked the shot and with the help of Vicky and Ginny, Demelza made it down the pitch with the Quaffle and easily scored. Harry grinned and leaned in to Fitzpatrick.

"You see that? They've got the Keeper's weakness," Harry said proudly. He turned to Ron and said, "The Keeper's weak spot is the lower left part of the left goal. They just have to fake aiming at another and aim for that and they should be able to get a few more shots in before he starts over protecting it."

Slytherin got two more goals in and Gryffindor managed six more before the Seekers began diving for the Snitch. Harry couldn't tell who was closer, but it looked like it was in Gryffindor's favor, when a Bludger knocked both off course and the Snitch soared up and away.

"Bloody hell!" Harry yelled as he glared at the offending Slytherin Beater.

160-60.

Fitzpatrick was now talking to Professor Flitwick beside him, and Harry would make a few comments to Ron and Hermione between bursts of focusing on the game. He almost forgot how nail-biting it could be.

* * *

"Lower left of left goal," Ginny said before clapping Demelza on the back and flying to midfield to wait for the Slytherin Chasers.

The Chasers were flying in a line, with the middle holding the Quaffle.

Ginny eyed where the players were and noticed that Vicky was flying just over the line, probably trying to look for a hole to strip the ball, Ritchie and Jimmy were maneuvering in and out after the Bludgers, and Demelza was just to the right of the line.

Ginny flew straight towards the line and when she was within hearing distance of Demelza and Vicky she bellowed, "BLACK THREE! BLACK THREE!" and swerved to block the line. It caused one Chaser to quickly dip, and Vicky quickly dove after him and began defending him. Demelza bumped into the Chaser to the left of the Chaser with the Quaffle, and flew straight up and to the right side of the Chaser with the ball. Ginny swerved to get out of the way and flew up to the Quaffle-less Chaser. She reached out as if she was trying to get the Quaffle to distract him, leaving Demelza to deal with the Chaser with the Quaffle. Once the Chaser needed to throw to score he tried to leave the pack, which let Demelza break off and add pressure. Gryffindor's Keeper easily caught the Quaffle.

Ginny smiled and took a breath and began trying to protect Demelza from the Chasers as Vicky rejoined them.

"Woooo!" she yelled as she saw she was right. Demelza threw it in the lower left space of the left hoop.

She smiled as she tried to catch her breath. She glanced to the professors and visitors' box and her heart leapt as she saw a patch of red hair and black hair on the front row. She took one more deep breath before dodging a Bludger and flying off toward the Slytherin side.

* * *

"Come on. Come on. COME ON COLLINS!" Harry yelled, gripping the railing so tight that his knuckles were white.

"Collins caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins! 470-210!"

Cheers erupted. Harry was hugging Ron and Hermione, and McGonagall jumped from her seat.

He grinned as not long after the announcer declared the win, Ginny flew over to their box. She was still on her broom as she leaned over the rail to hug and kiss him.

"You made it," she said as she pulled away just enough to see his face.

"I'm sorry I was late. It was a really late night," Harry said as he ran a hand over the top of her head and down to her shoulder.

She shook her head and said, "It's okay. It's okay. You made it. Did you see Demelza's score? The fake?"

He laughed and nodded. "It was brilliant."

She smiled and said, "So you saw the dive, too?"

"Like a Seeker," he said before kissing her again. "Missed you," he whispered.

She smiled and kissed his cheek before hugging him again. "I missed you, too."

"I love you," she said before pulling away and giving him a chaste kiss.

"Love you, too," he said as they untangled and she quickly hugged Ron around the neck.

"Ah! I'm so glad you came," she said to Ron. Ron laughed and patted Ginny on the back a little awkwardly.

"All right, I'll see all of you after?" Ginny asked as she pulled away. After being assured she would she set back off for the pitch to rejoin her team.

"Well, that was a great game. Professor McGonagall," Fitzpatrick said, tipping his hat, "Thank you for inviting me. Mr. Potter, thanks for the chat. I'll keep in touch, Professor McGonagall."

After he left Harry turned to McGonagall. "Who was that?"

A twinkle appeared in her eye and she said, "A Quidditch scout." She then turned to Professor Slughorn and said, "Now, Horace. What were you saying about today's game?"

Harry and Ron looked after the man, jaws dropped.

_Author's note: In the letters chapter I said that Jack Sloper was one of the Beaters… that was a mistake! It's Ritchie Coote and Jimmy Peakes. Sorry about that!_


	27. Right Back Where They Were

"That game…was brilliant. All of the practice paid off and you all were absolutely brilliant. Did you see Gryffindor? They went crazy. Good job," Ginny said with a smile.

"On Monday we'll have to tweak some of the plays so they'll still be a surprise. Ritchie, stay focused. You let a few Bludgers go to the Slytherin beaters, yeah? Vicky we'll work on some maneuvering Monday. You're still hanging just a bit right. Aislin, I need you to keep running those drills. Fewer points for them mean they have less of a chance to get the cups, whether or not we win the game. I don't want to cheapen the win. You all really did great, but we will always have more work. Don't get cocky. We've got Hufflepuff next, and then we've got Ravenclaw and we've all heard they're going to have to be the team to beat this year. So let's go celebrate and we'll start working again on Monday. Good game, everyone."

A few more cheers came from the team before they left to join the party that would inevitably be in the Gryffindor common room.

"Careful. None of us were with Wood but we all remember the stories," Ritchie said with a smirk.

"And his team should have won three straight years," Ginny retorted. "Hey, I told them to celebrate, I just don't want us to get big heads and then not score as much on Hufflepuff as we should. Ravenclaw's going to be a tough one. We need to blow Hufflepuff out of the water to get points up."

"All right, all right, Captain," Ritchie said, waving her off with a smile. "I'll be sure to not get too cocky."

Ginny rolled her eyes and said, "Thanks. See you in the common room."

After he left she took a deep breath. She checked on the statistics while everyone showered and changed out of their robes and now that everyone was gone she would shower and change. She could already tell she would be sore the next day, so she took one of the longest and most relaxing showers she had ever taken in the locker room.

After getting dressed and drying her hair she stepped out of the locker room to see Harry waiting just outside.

"Since when are you the last one out of the locker room?" Harry said with a joking smile.

"Since I was the last one to take a shower!" she exclaimed before jumping up and hugging and kissing him.

"Where are Hermione and Ron?" Ginny asked between kisses.

"She… she wanted to show him…. the Heads' common room and dormitories."

Ginny grinned and said, "Well then we won't see them for a while." She grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled him into the locker room.

After a bit of walking, kissing, and bumping into things, Harry had Ginny pinned against the lockers as he kissed her.

"I can't tell you how many times I wanted to do this after practices and games two years ago," Harry whispered as he moved to her neck.

She smiled and entangled a hand into his hair. It was kept shorter than she was used to now. "Took you long enough."

Harry grumbled before sliding a hand up her leg. Ginny slid her hands under his undershirt and then pulled back.

"Harry, you're getting thin again," Ginny said sternly.

"What? I've just been working out more. I'm fine," Harry said as he tried to return to kissing her.

"Yes, I can tell. And I appreciate it, trust me, but you're too thin, too. Are you eating enough?" she asked, now really surveying him for the first time.

"You sound like your mum," Harry said, sighing.

"Don't change the subject," she said, running a hand down his cheek. He had dark circles and bags under his eyes, and he was definitely thinner. "How much sleep did you get last night?"

"About four hours. Could be worse," Harry said, leaning in again.

She turned her head to the side and said, "And the night before that?"

Harry didn't answer. Ginny smiled softly, took his hand, and said, "Come on."

"But Gin…" Harry whined. He wasn't kidding about wanting to fool around in the locker room.

"Come on. Let's rain check this," Ginny said as she led him out of the locker room and towards the castle.

Harry sighed before intertwining his fingers with hers. "McGonagall invited a scout today."

Ginny looked up at Harry wide-eyed. "You're kidding!"

He smiled and said, "Nope. It was great game for him to watch."

"Do you know who?"

Harry shook his head. "I didn't realize he was one until he left. I had been talking to him about how you taught yourself and how much you love it and how good you are, too, and I didn't even know he was a scout."

"Merlin's pants!" Ginny squealed before hugging Harry and then resuming her walking. "Today has just been the best day."

Harry laughed and Ginny looked back up at him and said quietly, "Before the game, I told them to play for all of the Gryffindors who fought and all of the Gryffindors who died in the wars. Do you think that's okay? I mean, I didn't want to use the battles or the deaths… I just thought…"

Harry shook his head and wrapped around her. "No, no I think it's fine. I'd like to think Sirius and Dumbledore and Fred would still want their team to win. Besides… that's what it was all for, right? So we could live without Voldemort and have normal lives, going to school and going to work and watching Quidditch."

Ginny nodded and smiled, wrapping an arm loosely around his back. "So, why did you get in so late?"

The story of Harry's latest mission lasted until the reached the Room of Requirement. "Somewhere to sleep where no one can find us…" Ginny said quietly as she walked past the door three times.

It was weird for Harry to walk through the repaired halls, knowing it was no longer his home, knowing it was his past. Stepping into the Room of Requirement was just as eerie of a feeling.

"Come on," she said as she kicked off her shoes and tugged down her stockings.

Harry stripped down to his undershirt and boxers, and immediately walked up and began kissing Ginny when he saw she was down to just a bra and knickers.

"Harry… you need to sleep…" she said as she led him towards the bed.

"Yeah, well you're not making it any easier," he grumbled.

She chuckled and slid under the sheets. "Come on. Let's just take a nap first and get you fed and then we'll still have the rest of the day."

Harry smirked and slid in beside her. In no time her head was resting perfectly on his chest, with one arm and one leg over him. He marveled a little at how easy it was to get right back where they were.

"I can't believe there was a scout…" Ginny whispered.

Harry chuckled. "I thought I needed to sleep."

"Sorry, sorry…" she said and he chuckled again before kissing her on the head.

"I love you," she said before closing her eyes.

"I love you, too."


	28. Eavesdropping on Theories

Ginny turned off the tap and began drying off. For the first time, she heard the other girls in the lavatory.

"I know! She's all pale and…. freckley," said the first voice. She recognized it as Demelza Robbins. "The only reason he's stuck with her has to be because he doesn't know anything else. Rita Skeeter says this is his first long term relationship. Puppy love."

"It's just a matter of time before he realizes that he could have whomever he wants. He obviously has mommy and daddy issues, so he just wants a girl that looks like mommy and is already family. I mean come on, he practically grew up with her. It's sickening, really," said Romilda.

"Mmm… so a little demented, then. I don't know how I feel about that," Demelza replied. Ginny quickly dressed and peered through a crack between the stall doors.

Romilda stared at the mirror, cocked her eyebrow, smirked and said, "I prefer to call him… damaged. Much sexier. OH, did you see him in Witch Weekly? He looked _so _hot. It's such a waste."

Demelza laughed. "Ugh, you can't imagine having her as captain. She's such a bitch. Think it's true that she's got Harry under a love potion? I mean, she _always_ has to get what she wants."

Ginny was hot with anger. It took all she could not to storm out right there.

"She must be doing something like that. She looks like a ginger child. She's a pasty midget with no boobs and too many freckles. She flirts all wrong and she tries way too hard. I don't understand how she got the guys she had before him. She must have practiced the potions and charms on them before turning to the main event," she said, her voice dripping with disdain.

Ginny couldn't take it anymore. She opened the door and stepped through. Her head was held high and she smiled coolly at them. "Oh no, I'll leave the demented love potions to you. I don't need spiked chocolates to try to get Harry," Ginny said as she glanced at Romilda. She then turned to Demelza and raised an eyebrow. "See you at workouts. I can't wait to introduce you to the new plays."

She continued to walk proudly out of the lavatory. She would not break in front of them. Not in front of a Harry-obsessed lunatic or traitor teammate. She stayed strong all the way up to Hermione's Head Girl dormitory. Hermione had given her the password so that they could study and hang out. She jumped at the sound of Ginny barging into her room and slamming her door.

"I should be watched because I might KILL someone tonight," she yelled as she paced.

Hermione put down her book and watched Ginny. There were few times she had seen her this angry.

"Mmmm… who will be hexed this time?" Hermione said tentatively.

"Romilda Vane and Demelza Robbins," Ginny said as she began cooling herself down. "They were saying the nastiest things about Harry and me… or well… about me and why Harry is with me."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "You haven't cared about a thing Rita Skeeter said. Ginny, you know Harry loves you. Whatever they say doesn't matter."

Ginny sighed and sat on the chair at Hermione's desk. "It's just… some of the things they said…"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "All of this rubbish about you being a gold digger will go away the next time something scandalous happens. A Quidditch player is bound to be caught with a mistress soon."

"No… no, they weren't saying that. They were saying things I've wondered before. You know, just a tinge," she said. She was regretting the anger that had overwhelmed her. She couldn't possibly shrug it off and act as if she hadn't really been all that upset. Her skin was still flushed from anger.

Hermione resituated how she was sitting. "Such as…?"

Ginny went from angry to embarrassed. "They said… they said they think he's with me because of mummy issues and because he's never been in a real relationship and I'm just the first and of course they talked about the potion theory but… I don't know. I've wondered, and not much mind you, if maybe it does have something to do with his mum or not having much experience with girls." She could read the look on Hermione's face and knew exactly what she was going to say, and so she interjected, "I know he loves me. I do. I guess when I'm feeling… insecure… I just wonder if maybe he's settling without realizing it."

Hermione surprised Ginny by smiling a bit. "Ginny, he is in no way settling. You two are disgustingly perfect for each other. Ron's my first real boyfriend. Does that mean I'm settling?"

Ginny squirmed a little. "No, no of course not. But you two have fancied each other for years-"

"And as for the Freudian connection," Ginny looked a bit confused at the term 'Freudian,' "the thing about his mother, it is completely ridiculous. You look nothing like her, even the red is different, and Harry really seems to have closure. Ginny, the whole thing is preposterous," Hermione said. Ginny looked down and Hermione regretted being so flippant. "I understand," Hermione quickly said. "It's hard being long distance and-"

"-and we didn't date for long when we were at the same place at the same time," Ginny added.

"Right, right. But, honestly, Ginny. He's mad for you. I could tell before you started dating and it was more than obvious last year when we were on the run. You have nothing to worry about," Hermione said in a reassuring tone.

Ginny nodded, looking down with a small smile. "I guess it's just hard to think there could be a happily ever after. I keep thinking something else will get in the way."

"Oh, Merlin, I know. I keep thinking Ron and I will get in the worst row or that something will happen while they're out rounding up Death Eaters… and then I realize it truly is over. Now, we just have to learn how to have somewhat normal lives," Hermione said with a smile.

Ginny chuckled and sat next to Hermione on her bed. "Normal? Can you imagine? THAT is the preposterous idea. It will feel so… odd." She jokingly added, "Do you think we'll get bored? Make up drama?"

Hermione paused as if she were reflecting deeply and said, "I did thrive from the stress and heartache. I loved barely having a childhood. Who would want a normal life without the constant threat of death?"

Ginny giggled and bumped Hermione with her shoulder. She shook her head and said, "We're really too young to be talking about all of this. Now, let's stop being so serious. If Harry and I are meant to be, we're meant to be. I'm 17. I don't need to worry about all of this."

"Quite right," Hermione said with a nod. "All we need to worry about are NEWTs."

Ginny scrunched up her face and said, "I was going to go with worrying about our hair, snagging boys, and being the most popular girls at school."

"Oh…" Hermione said. "That is much more stereotypical for teenage girls, isn't it?" Ginny laughed.

Hermione smiled and after a pause said, "It is awful about Demelza. She's your teammate, after all."

Ginny smiled wickedly. "Oh no, I would rather it be someone like her. At least with her I have control of her afternoons, and even if I don't change her workouts, role in the plays, etcetera… there's always the possibility."

Hermione shook her head with a small smirk. "I suppose that's the spirit."

_Author's note: Of course the most recent movie has gotten me to get out of what started off as a writer's block and turned into me being far too busy. Graduate school is a bitch! I've reworked where I'm going with this a bit, so hopefully that means I'll update more._


	29. Dead Ends

Harry studied the map, trying to determine where the group of rogue former Death Eaters were camping out. Ron was standing next to him, sucking on the tip of a sugar quill as he thought.

"Picking up a habit from Hermione?" asked Harry as he smoothed out the map and continued to stare down at it, examining the routes they had previously followed and found groups and where there had been bad tips.

"Hm?" Ron responded.

"The sugar quill. Hermione's usually the one eating those," Harry said, still not looking up from the map.

"Oh, right. Yeah, 'Mione sent me some sweets she bought from Honeydukes. You know, from yesterday's trip," Ron said, trying not to show any annoyance for being still on this specific mission and not getting the week break that would have allowed them to visit their friends at Hogsmeade.

Harry sighed and glanced at the Prophet. It was opened to a page that had an article on recent Death Eater appearances, but the page also had a gossip column with pictures of the girls at Hogsmeade, without Harry and Ron. It was a ridiculous story about how the couples must be in trouble and how Ginny was now with Neville.

"We haven't gotten any other leads, and the last was obviously a bust. I don't see what more we can do here. I wish Proudfoot would call it a loss and let us go back to the office. There's nothing here, and who knows where they be now. They could be out of the country," Harry said, gritting through his teeth.

Ron let out a deep breath and walked away with his hands on the back of his head. "You don't have to tell me. This is a waste, and the holidays are in a couple of weeks. If we don't get back and go through the tips again…"

"We're going to be up to our eyeballs in paperwork when everyone else is on break," Harry finished for him. He knew it would be harder to filter through the tips the longer they were away chasing a dead end lead. "This is the third one he's gotten wrong. He's covering his ass."

Ron walked back over to Harry and lowered his voice. "Kingsley's going to be pissed the longer we take though. Proudfoot's making it worse. Meanwhile, it's giving Death Eaters we could round up more time to escape or rally."

Harry sighed, "I know, I know." He paused for a moment and said, "I'll talk to him."

Harry walked out of the tent and up to Proudfoot, trying to formulate the best argument he could for going back. Proudfoot had become more and more stubborn each time his missions had failed. They hadn't all failed, but he wasn't turning up as many Death Eaters as the other mission leaders.

"Sir, could I have a word?" Harry asked as he walked up.

Proudfoot turned around to face Harry. His face was stern and his hands were still clasped behind his back. He was taller than Harry, and about fifteen years older. He had just recently begun leading missions, and he seemed very protective of the position.

"Erm," Harry said, before straightening up. "Sir, it's a dead lead. The team has completely combed the area, sending off spells to reverse any protection spells, and there's nothing. The tip doesn't make sense with the other successful ones, and I think if they were ever here, it's been a long time since. I think… I think we should go back to the office and begin looking for new leads. There's nothing here."

"Really? Is that what Harry Potter thinks?" Proudfoot sneered. Harry hadn't been expecting that. He saw Proudfoot as a stubborn man, and probably one worried about losing his post, but he had never been rude to Harry before.

"Well, yes I-"

"The thing is, Potter," Proudfoot continued, "I don't really care what Harry Potter thinks. You shouldn't even be out here. Of course the team can't find anything, half the team is barely of age. Half the team has not been through the proper training. You don't really know strategy boy. You think you're prepared for this job just because of your little adventures at Hogwarts?"

Harry was enraged. However, Proudfoot was his superior, and so he tried to stay somewhat calm. "Sir," Harry said, gritting his teeth. "They weren't little adventures. Ron, Hermione and I spent last year searching for… the necessary items to kill Voldemort. We're used to the traveling, we're using to strategizing where to go next, and we know how to use the strongest of protection and shielding charms."

Proudfoot chuckled and said, "Yes, and it took you almost an entire year. That is the problem. Maybe they're turning into dead ends because the team is too dull to stay on the rogues' heels."

Harry was trying with all of his might to not explode. "We had to think like Voldemort to find these items, which I can guarantee is a lot more complicated than these dimwitted followers. It's a bum lead and it was one from the start. It didn't make sense, and there was no real reported Dark Magic activity in the area before we came here. We just need to admit that we were wrong and get back to the Ministry so we can find tips that might actually lead us to-"

"Oh, are you in charge now, Potter?" Proudfoot snapped. "Am I to take orders from you? Do not give me recommendations on how to do my job when I have not asked. Your impertinence and attempts to undermine me have gone on long enough-"

"Excuse me, sir-" Harry said, which only angered Proudfoot further.

"DO NOT INTERRUPT ME. You need to learn your place, Potter. You and Weasley are at the very bottom of the chain, and you two are mucking up our operation with your inexperience. You are not the leader here," Proudfoot yelled as he squared up against Harry.

"And you are not leading!" Harry bellowed. "The leader shouldn't blame his mistakes on his team! You picked this tip just like the other two that led to nowhere! This isn't a team. This is you making all the decisions and forcing us to follow them, which ends up with nothing but dead ends while the runaway Death Eaters get closer and closer to escaping forever!"

"THAT IS A WRITE UP, MR. POTTER! I suggest you get back to your tent before you are put on probation. I will be sure to inform Shacklebolt of your immaturity," Proudfoot seethed. His face was purple and he was holding his wand in a vice grip.

"Go ahead and tell Kingsley all about this waste of a mission!" Harry fired back as he stormed towards the tent.

Ron was not the only one standing in the tent now. Kelsey McGregor, Ian Jones, and Will Curry were each sifting through the papers, notes, and maps. They glued their eyes to the papers, as if they didn't hear what was going on.

"So… that didn't work out so well, mate," Ron said as he crossed his arms and leaned against the table.

Harry felt uncomfortable. It was bad enough shouting at his superior, it felt worse that they all heard it. Maybe he was too immature for this.

"All of it," Kelsey said, now looking up from her papers. "It's what we've all been thinking. I've completed all of my training. Hell, I'm in my second year and I can't find anything because nothing's here."

"Seven years for me, and it doesn't matter because you can't find what isn't there," said Ian.

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "All right, so obviously I shouldn't talk to him again, then, as long as he's got the chip on his shoulder."

"Or as long as you're going to yell at him," Ron said in a helpful tone with a twinge of a smirk. Harry only gave Ron a look.

"Right," he said as he crossed the room a poured himself some coffee. He rubbed the bridge of his nose under his glasses and said, "Let's go through it again, then. Ian, any Dark Magic activity? Reported or evidence found? Even a bloody Stupefy?"

Ian shrugged and said, "Nope. No one in the area has seen anything, and they aren't acting like they're trying to hide something. They honestly haven't had any disturbances."

"Okay, did they say they noticed any strangers in the area or… areas that felt odd, as if disillusionment or protection charms are over the area?" Harry asked, and it wasn't the first time some version of this question had been asked. Ian simply gave him a "what do you think?" look.

"Right. Okay, then, Will. Are you sure there are no correlations, no similar behavior to past-"

"Harry, come on. You know I'm not going to have anything positive," Will said, looking very annoyed.

"And I've tried everything. Even the spells that broke the most complex of protection charms, even the spells that would have broken the bloody charms on all of the Heads in the Ministry last year. Harry, there's nothing here," Kelsey stated very matter of fact.

Harry sighed and looked down at the map. Along with the stack of papers was the Marauder's Map. Harry had half-forgotten he had been looking at it before Ron came in. Gryffindor's common room was in view, with Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Ritchie's dots in a clump by what looked to be the fireplace.

Harry sighed and said, "I know. Let's… Ian, you've been on the longest. Ask him if you could send a report to the department of our… findings and ask if there are any tips that could be connected to uh… help us in this mission. I would wait until morning. The rest of us should just continue to… go over everything, I guess. Maybe he'll be okay with the report, and then they'll be tipped off enough at the department to request for us to come back and move on."

Proudfoot had been standing outside of the tent the whole time. He sighed. He was frustrated with his failures. He had finally moved up, and he was mucking it up. On top of it, he had to worry about a eighteen year old undermining him. It almost seemed worse to think that said eighteen year old wasn't trying to undermine him. The others in the team listened to Harry. They seemed to respect him immensely, while Proudfoot was losing their trust and respect more and more each day. He moved back to where he had been standing earlier as Ian nodded and moved out. After noticing that Harry had no more suggestions, Kelsey and Will went on to their tents as well.

"Blimey. The head of our mission is jealous of us? Does he think last year was just a longer version of hide and seek and at night we sat around campfires telling ghost stories? Fuck, can we just go home?" Ron groaned before walking back to the table. It was then that he noticed the Marauder's Map.

"It's bullshit. He's a shite leader. We just have to figure out how to work around it," Harry said, taking his glasses off to rub his eyes again.

"Why do you still have the map again? Hogwarts safe. Hermione and Gin would have better use of it," Ron said as he watched the dots in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"The same reason why you're watching the Common Room," Harry said quietly. "Besides… it was my dad's. I just… what if it got misplaced or taken up again? I just…I wanna hold on to the map and my cloak. Besides, what if someone snuck in?"

Ron smirked. "Right. Now that Voldemort's gone and McGonagall is in charge, they're really going to have to worry about that." He paused, cleared the map, and handed it to Harry. "Come on. Let's turn in. There's nothing left to find here."

Harry nodded and silently walked out. He didn't _always_ take the lead when it was Hermione, Ron, and him, but at least most of the time he was either taking the lead or really having a say. He hated having to follow orders just because they were orders, especially when that meant waste of time missions that kept him from visiting his girlfriend and his friends at Hogsmeade.


	30. Wandering Thoughts

The weeks crept by, but eventually winter break arrived. It was just a week before when Proudfoot's team had gotten the order to scrap the mission and return. There were rumblings in the department that the teams would be redrawn, but Harry was not really preoccupied with it. He was more worried about getting as much work done as possible so he could have some of a winter break.

"Whoah, mate, calm down. Take your time," Ian said as he passed Harry's cubicle. Harry had made a sizeable dent, but he also hadn't taken many breaks. Even Ron had been plugging away faster than the other team members, even if he gave himself more snack breaks than Harry. They had joked about how if only Hermione could see them working harder now than they did for most all of their exams.

Harry and Ron were determined to get some time off during the holidays, though. Between the paperwork and the additional training they had to do at the office, they had a lot less time to get their bureaucratic duties done. Harry was doing a little bit better with it than Ron, mostly because the training currently revolved around Occlumency. Harry was able to quickly move on to working on Leglimency, but Ron hadn't had Harry's experience, so he was still working on closing his mind. For Harry, it turned out closing your mind was much easier when you didn't have a piece of Voldemort's soul in you.

Harry feigned a bit of a chuckle for Ian and said, "Well, just want to actually have some holiday time. Hogwarts lets out tomorrow for the holidays and Ron and I haven't seen our girlfriends or school friends in a while." He turned back to his work, but Ian didn't move along.

"Still dating those school girls? Harry, Harry… this is the time to shop around. Not date some school girls," Ian said before taking a long sip of his coffee.

Harry stopped and took a deep breath to keep from seeming too annoyed. "What?"

Ian shrugged and said, "You're young. When I was your age I was chasing birds, not settling down. The work's too hard, you're too young, and there are too many girls to settle down." He chuckled and said, "Especially long distance relationships."

Harry shook and his head, "Well, I don't need to chase girls. I want and I've got Ginny. I'm good."

Ian smiled at Harry as if he were a naïve little boy. It made Harry more annoyed. "I don't get it, mate. With that scar and this job you could get any girl you want. I'm pretty sure Kelsey has a thing for you, and she's older." Ian winked at that.

"Look, Ian. I love my girlfriend. I only want her," Harry said, his annoyance was beginning to seep into his voice.

Ian chuckled again and replied, "Okay, okay. I'm not saying never settle down. Happily married guy right here. But the first years of training and being an Auror? Just think you guys should be sowing your wild oats right now. It's hard keeping up with girlfriends. And, you know, shagging helps with all the stress." He shrugged and raised his coffee. "Don't forget you're only 18."

Harry turned back to his work as Ian walked away, but now he was distracted. He ran a hand through his hair and looked over to a frame in the corner of his cubicle. It was a picture of Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione from his birthday party. He then glanced at the Marauder's Map and saw Hermione was in the library, while Ginny was in the common room with Ritchie. He stared at it for a moment before pulling himself out of the daze. There was one thing Ian was right about, he needed to get out the pent up stress. However, working out was what he always did.

As he worked out he thought about the bum leads, their lousy leader and Ian's advice. He knew he acted older than his age a lot. He grew up having to do things that weren't exactly age appropriate. On the other hand, he couldn't imagine being with anyone other than Ginny. It was fairly easy to shrug off the girls that would come up to him at pubs or stores.

He wondered a bit about Ginny. She was 17 and she had been in relationships before him. She was around people more than he was. Sure, she was training and studying, but she had more free time and she was getting to live like a teenager. He shook his head, as if to shake the thoughts out. It was ridiculous, he knew. Hermione would make him feel like it were the most ridiculous idea in the world if she were here. Still, he couldn't help but thinking of her spending time with all of these people… boys… her age that weren't him. In her Quidditch uniform. In her Hogwarts uniform. She had gone through a lot with Neville and Ritchie last year. Dean was back at Hogwarts this year. The beast within began to growl again.

When he got back to his desk, though, it didn't stop him from sending an owl.

_Thinking about you. Can't wait to see you tomorrow._

_Love,_

_H_

Ian's advice and Harry's wandering thoughts continued to plague him. He and Ron worked hard enough to be ahead of their team, though, so they took off the next afternoon to greet the Hogwarts Express. Harry was pretty annoyed to spot photographers at Platform 9 ¾, but he tried to push it from his mind. He stood with his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels as he waited with Ron. It was pretty easy to block out the photographers and all the other thoughts that had been plaguing him once Ginny stepped off the train and spotted him. He couldn't contain a wide smile as she smiled broadly and ran towards him. She was a blur of red hair as she jumped into his arms and kissed him. It was vaguely reminiscent of their first kiss, which made him kiss her harder. She wrapped her legs around him to help keep her up, which she would later think back and realize she really didn't need to do because he had gotten stronger than she remembered.

When their faces pulled apart and they noticed the flashes from the photographers, Harry sighed and smiled before saying, "Well, that'll be all over the papers tomorrow."

Ginny rested her forehead against his and whispered, "I don't give a fuck about them."

Harry chuckled and began kissing her again. After a moment, or perhaps hours-they couldn't be sure, later, Ron elbowed Harry with his free arm (as Hermione was currently attached to the other), and said, "All right, quit snogging in the middle of King's Cross. Come on."

The two blushed a bit as Ginny got down and Harry wrapped his arm around her waist. The boys helped the girls with their bags and then the four were off, trying to dodge the photographers and gossip writers before heading through Platform 9 ¾ to the other side.


	31. Legilimency Practice

The break was flying by far quicker than anyone would have liked. They had celebrated Fleur's pregnancy, had family dinners, exchanged presents, visited Teddy, taken time to reconnect. It was drawing towards the end of the break, and Harry and Ginny were spending more time with their respective training and studying while hanging out with each other. They were currently in the study of Grimmauld Place, Ginny laying on the couch studying her Transfiguration text and Harry at the desk studying more Legilimency strategies.

Ginny poked her head up from her book to see Harry looking frustrated. "All right, love?"

Harry sighed and nodded. "Yeah… yeah… it's just hard doing this without practicing. I need to get back into the office." Harry had tried to bring his work home as much as possible so that at least he could do it while Ginny was studying and they could still be together in some sort of way with the little time they had left before break ended.

Ginny frowned. These study sessions weren't the best quality time, but she liked being able to at least spend some sort of time with him. "Well… does it have to be on someone practicing Occlumency?"

Harry shook his head. "No, no. We haven't gotten that far yet."

Ginny closed her book and sat up. "Well, practice on me then."

"No… no, Gin. It's a complete invasion of privacy… I don't think-"

Ginny smiled and shrugged as she said, "Well, who better then? I don't have anything to hide, really. What, do you need to just try to find out some sort of information?"

Harry ran a hand through his hair. This seemed like a terrible, if not helpful, idea. "No, I'm not that advanced yet. That means- that means I would probably end up just in the thoughts and memories you would like to hide the most. You don't want that."

Ginny shrugged again and sounded like it was no big deal. She didn't think it was. She couldn't think of anything that would be just terrible if Harry knew. "Harry, it'll be fine. Come on. Just don't do it in the future when I haven't given the okay." Harry didn't say anything at first as he contemplated it. "Harry, really. I don't have any secrets. You need the practice and I need a break from Transfiguration. I want to help."

Harry chewed the inside of his lip. "Okay, just a little. Thanks, Ginny."

He walked over and felt completely awkward, as if it were before they were dating and she had asked him to do a more intimate favor. Maybe it was better to practice on her first. She was one of the people he was closest to now. Wouldn't it be harder invading the mind of someone he didn't feel as comfortable with?

Ginny was growing a little more anxious due to how Harry was acting. She turned to him as he sat down, and looked him deep in the eyes. Of course, it was a very different stare than when they were talking or fooling around. It gave her a bit of a shiver.

"Um, I'll try to pull out if I feel like I've gotten in too deep," he said, and he was interrupted by her snicker, which made him laugh. "You know what I mean." She nodded and went back to staring intently at him. He took a deep breath and tried to enter her mind.

She was wrapped in a towel in a shower stall, and Harry was starting to be more and more glad that he was practicing on her.

"…matter of time before he realizes that he could have whomever he wants. He obviously has mommy and daddy issues, so he just wants a girl that looks like mommy and is already family. I mean come on, he practically grew up with her. It's sickening, really." He recognized the voice, and his blood was already starting to boil. Next thing he knew, he was out of her mind.

Ginny had a very faint blush on her face, but other than that she looked fairly cool and collected.

"When did that happen?" Harry asked, trying to calm down. He knew his anger was what kicked him out of her mind. He was going to have to stay calm. Maybe practicing on Ginny would be harder, after all.

"Oh… a few weeks ago," Ginny said nonchalantly.

"Superficial level memory, damn. Okay, I'll try again… if that's okay," Harry said, giving her a worried look that she couldn't help but smile at.

"Yeah, that's fine. Try again," Ginny said, nodding.

Harry was just about to enter her mind again when he paused. "You know… whatever Romilda says… it's complete shite."

Ginny nodded quickly and said, "Yeah, yeah of course. She's mad."

He gave her a faint smile and took her hand, which calmed both of them down. At first he came back to that memory, but he concentrated harder and soon found himself on Hogwarts grounds. Everyone was screaming as Hagrid walked up with Harry's limp body. That was better, but he felt like he should be able to go deeper.

Suddenly he was in the Gryffindor common room. Ginny had to be eleven, and that had to be 12 year old Harry, Ron, and Hermione walking by. Ginny waved at Ron, who looked embarrassed and gave her the smallest of waves before turning and talking animatedly to Harry and Hermione. Her shoulders sagged. She walked over to a nook in the corner of the room, took out a quill and black book, and began to write. Harry worked hard at staying calm as he watched her etched "Dear Tom" in the diary before lamenting over her brother and his friends, over feeling alone. Tom appeared more interested once Harry's name was brought up. "The boy who lived, right? What has he been up to?"

For a moment Harry thought he was being pulled out, and he fought hard to stay concentrated on Ginny's memories. He wanted to see more from this year. He wasn't sure if she guided him or if his desire to see more from her first year guided him to the Chamber of Secrets, but a tear-stained Ginny was on the ground. She looked up at Tom with hate in her eyes.

"I don't know why you bother fighting. You're just a weak little girl. It's why your brother won't even bother being around you. Why _he_ will never see you as more than a silly girl with a demented crush," Tom seethed.

"Shut up!" she said as forcefully as she could, but she already felt her strength waning as his image grew stronger.

Tom chuckled. "Actually, he sees you as his best friend's little sister, which is why he should be here any minute. I should thank you, Ginny Weasley, for handing me Harry Potter. It has been so easy, I'm surprised he's lasted this long."

Ginny clinched her fist as if there was something there for her to grab. Her wand was a couple of yards from her, though, and she could barely move. "No…." she gasped as anguish and realization flashed over her face. "No, don't."

"Don't? Don't kill the boy who mysteriously bested me? Well, first I think I'll find out how he did it. Then, I might let him watch you die. Finally, I'll feed him to the basilisk and get rid of that nuisance. I'll be free to return in full form with nothing to stop me," Tom said, looking very satisfied with himself.

Ginny shook her head. "He… he won't come. He doesn't care…. about me. Barely…. barely knows…. knows who I am. Won't work." Harry felt emotion swell with him. It was getting harder to push it down.

Tom Riddle nodded and said, "You're right. He doesn't care about you. It is obvious you are nothing to him. Ah, but your brother. Your brother is his best friend. Your brother is like a brother to him. And my little snake has already taken away the little witch he does seem to care about, so he'll be even more set to stop it. So, he'll come. He'll save you for your brother."

Ginny's breathing was getting shallower as tears ran down her cheeks. Harry had almost forgotten just how pale she looked, how small, when he had found her in the Chamber.

"Ginny?" He heard his own voice in the distance. Ginny appeared to try to lift her head. "No.." she whispered.

Tom was looking quite pleased. "Ginny?" Harry's young voice was growing louder.

Ginny was trying her best to yell, but it was barely above a whisper. "No…. no Harry… trap… don't… not worth…. Trap."

Her eyes were starting to flutter. Tom sauntered over to her and lifted her head so she could see him. "Thank you,_ friend_, for helping me kill Harry Potter." She squeaked a faint "no" before her eyes closed and her body was completely limp. In the distance, running footsteps could be heard.

Harry closed his eyes for a minute. It was taking all he could to keep himself calm, to keep it together. He needed a happier memory.

He opened his eyes and they were at the Yule Ball. Well, that's better. He looked over at Ginny beaming on Neville's arm and a pang of regret hit him. She really had looked rather pretty that night. Neville and Ginny were dancing, and Ginny was doing a good job of not grimacing when she got stepped on. Harry noticed Ginny glance over at his 14 year old self, who was staring intently at Cho Chang. Harry stepped a bit closer to Ginny and Neville as she sighed a bit.

"It's okay, I know you'd rather be with someone else," Neville said with a small smile. Ginny felt awful, and not just because Neville had just stepped on her foot.

"What? No… no, of course not. Neville, I'm so glad you asked me!" she said decidedly.

Neville smiled and said, "That's nice, but I know you'd rather be with him. It's okay."

Ginny stopped dancing and put her hands on both his shoulders. "Neville, you are my best friend, aside from Hermione. I have so much fun with you. You are the absolute best. There is no one I would rather take me to the Yule Ball than my best friend!"

Neville shook his head and then motioned towards Harry, still staring wistfully at Cho. "Not… not even Harry?"

Ginny glanced over at him. He was staring at Cho in a way she had never seen him stare at anyone else, least of all Ginny. She nodded and said with a bright smile, "Not even Harry. Look he is just sitting there mooning over Cho Chang. I would much rather dance and not be with someone pining over another girl." She glanced at Harry one more time and said, "Actually, I'm going to take Hermione's advice. I'm… I'm over it. Over him. I'm going to just be myself and not worry a thing about Harry Potter. More fish in the sea!"

Neville chuckled as they resumed dancing. "Really?"

"Yes, really. So over it. Why should I pine over my brother's best friend who is completely in love with someone else? I need to just… get out there… fancy other boys. I'm 13! What have I been thinking this whole time? Neville, how could you have let it get this bad?" She feigned an angry face and he chuckled more.

"I take full responsibility. All right, let's celebrate then. I'll go get us some punch," Neville replied.

"Perfect!" Ginny said cheerily. She glanced at Harry again and shook it off. "I'm just going to get some air outside."

As Neville walked to the punch bowl, Ginny stepped outside. It was a gorgeous night, although now she wished she had brought a coat. She made a heating charm, but it could definitely be stronger.

"What on earth is a pretty girl like you doing out here like this?" an unfamiliar voice said behind her.

She turned around to see a Ravenclaw boy she had noticed before smirking at her. She smirked back. Harry balled his fists momentarily. "Charming. I'm just admiring the sky. I needed some fresh air."

He walked over and took off his long dress jacket it and placed it on her shoulders. "You're going to freeze if you stay out here."

She debated on shrugging off the jacket. She could take care of herself, after all. She remembered the declaration she had just made for Neville, though.

"Well… now you'll freeze," she said, a faint smirk still on her face.

"True, very true. How about we go inside, talk a bit," He said, putting out his arm for her to take.

She clasped her hands in front of her and looked at him as if she were studying him. "And who are you?"

The boy smiled, and Harry felt a bit mortified as he watched Ginny not only smile back, but blush a little bit.

"Michael Corner, Ravenclaw, 4th year," he said, putting out his hand.

Ginny giggled and shook his hand as she said, "Ginny Weasley, Gryffindor, 3rd year."

"Ginny, cute name." Harry rolled his eyes and Michael put his hands in his pockets and looked around. "Well, if you're a 3rd year, then you had to come with a date. I don't see him around."

Ginny took off his jacket, handed it back to him, and walked up to the door. _Good girl, Ginny_, Harry thought, pretending he didn't know how this would end.

"I came with Neville Longbottom. He's actually getting us punch, and I should really check on him," she said with a smile on her face.

"Wait, think Longbottom could spare you for a bit? Could I have one dance?" Michael asked.

Ginny opened her mouth and then closed it. He seemed to be asking earnestly and he didn't suggest abandoning Neville. He was also a cute boy giving her attention. She glanced at Harry one last time and then looked back at Michael. She gave him a charming smile, one Harry knew too well, and said, "I'm sure it would be okay if you had one dance. Just… find me later."

Neville walked up and looked a little confused. Ginny took the drink, thanked him, and looped her arm in his. As they walked away she glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Michael, who looked victorious.

The room was blurry for a moment and as it came back into focus he saw Ginny laughing as Michael spun her around. How had Harry and Ron not noticed all of this before? Harry looked around and could not find 14 year old Harry and Ron anywhere. This must have been when they were eavesdropping on Hagrid outside. He looked back over to Ginny, who seemed to really enjoy Michael's company. The song ended and Michael led her back towards Neville, who was talking with Dean and Seamus. Harry had felt jealousy here and there watching Ginny and Michael, but now that he saw the way Dean was looking at her, the monster began to roar within him. Funny, he thought, he might always be a little jealous of Dean. He had to watch Dean and Ginny snog and be a couple for so long after Harry realized he fancied her himself.

"Well, I'm sorry the dance is over," Michael said as he shuffled his feet a bit.

"Yeah… yeah, me too," Ginny responded, sounding a little surprised at herself. She bit her lip.

Neville looked between them and said, "Oh, I meant to see if I could ask Hermione for a dance. I got tied up with these guys… um… how about you dance some more and…. I'll go find Hermione."

Ginny looked quickly at Neville. "Are you sure?" Neville could hear the hopeful tone, and he was actually happy to see her being interested in someone other than Harry. He liked seeing her not sad.

Neville smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah, yeah definitely."

"Thanks, mate," Michael said as he lead Ginny back to the dance floor. Ginny, meanwhile, turned around and mouthed "Thank you" before giving Neville a thumbs up and turning around again.

Harry didn't really want to see anymore of this, so he closed his eyes and concentrated more.

It was just blank for a moment. Suddenly, there was a shrill scream that made him feel sick to his stomach. Ginny's legs were bound to a stool and her arms were bound to each other. Her head was hanging for a moment but she quickly snapped it up, looking resolute.

"Thought you could steal from the headmaster, blood traitor?" Amycus Carrow seethed. "We should just kill you. Kill a thief and blood traitor."

Ginny did nothing but stare at him. Harry knew where they were. He steeled himself and then looked at her back. There were already slashes and blood staining her shirt. She still had the scars from when the Carrows decided to punish her for trying to steal the Gryffindor sword. She looked calm and collected, but he could feel her thoughts, and she was completely worried about what was happening to Neville and Luna.

Harry had to look away as Carrow performed more whipping charms. Every once in a while Ginny would grunt or yell out, but for the most part she stayed silent as he whipped and antagonized her.

Carrow stopped when someone knocked on the door. Ginny took the distraction to grimace as he answered the door.

"I have some news, brother," Alecto Carrow said as she came in the door. "According to to the little Crabbe, this one is not only close to Potter because she's a Weasley, but they were a little couple last year."

Amycus Carrow stared at her for a moment. "Really? Weasley, were you Harry Potter's girlfriend?"

_Don't say anything, don't say anything,_ Harry thought and wished. He didn't know if he could handle much more of this memory.

And then it happened.

"Crucio," Amycus said calmly.

Ginny screamed and jerked, falling to the floor with the stool still bound to her. Amycus let loose of the ties.

"Were you Potter's girlfriend?" Amycus repeated.

It was the first time she had experience the Cruciatus curse. It seemed like such minor information to her, so she answered. "Yes," she said, trying to sound firm again.

"Oh…. Well isn't this perfect. Bait. The girl Potter loves," Alecto said, sounding like they had found a prized possession.

Harry felt sick. She hadn't told him this part.

"You're wrong. He doesn't love me," Ginny said coolly as she tried to sit up.

"What?" Alecto snapped.

"You heard me. He never said he loved me. He doesn't love me. We barely even dated," she said. She glanced down and saw her blood from her back on the ground.

Harry looked nervously at the Carrows.

"Doesn't matter. You know where he is. He had to tell you," Amycus Carrow said as he circled Ginny.

"We've told you. We don't know where they are. We have no idea-"

"I didn't say your family knows. I didn't say your friends know. I said YOU know. Everyone knows Potter's weakness are his emotions and _love._ He told you. Now, where is he?" Amycus Carrow said with a snarl. Alecto licked her lips.

"What do you NOT understand about 'I don't know. They didn't tell me'? I. Don't. Know. He-" she interrupted herself with a scream as she was Cruciated again.

Harry yelled, but of course there was nothing he could do.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know." Another scream.

"Where?"

"I don't know!"

Harry was losing all of his cool. Ginny's back was covered in blood and she was writhing on the ground at this point.

"WHERE IS HE, GIRL?"

"I don't know! And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you, you inbred bastard! Try all you want!"

Harry was almost mad at Ginny's stubbornness at this point. Things were getting blurry as he lost his control and concentration.

"Don't mind if I do," Carrow said coolly.

This Cruciatus curse lasted longer and only stopped because Snape barged in.

"What is going on here?" he said in an emotionless tone.

The Carrows grinned, excited to share their findings. "Well, this little Weasley was one of the ones who tried to steal your sword."

"It's not his-" Snape silenced her.

"We were giving her her punishment when Mr. Crabbe informed us that she dated Potter last year. We were just finding out where he is," said proudly.

Snape looked down at Ginny's tear-stained face. He snarled and looked back at the Carrows. "Fools. She doesn't know anything. Go. Go see about Longbottom and Lovegood. I will take over Weasley."

The Carrows didn't look particularly happy, but they obliged. Snape looked down at Ginny for a moment before levitating her and walking her to the hospital wing.

"What on EARTH happened to her?" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed as she worked furiously to clean Ginny's wounds.

"Attacked by a student. I should attend the business of consequences, and I'll call for Professor McGonagall. Clean her up and send her back to Gryffindor Tower," Snape said tersely. He removed the silencing spell before turning on his heel.

McGonagall flew into the room moments later. She hurried over to the bed and looked absolutely shocked.

"Poppy," McGonagall said under her breath.

"Attacked by a student. Hmpf. It was the Carrows I bet," Madame Pomfrey said. She had cleaned Ginny's wounds and given her the appropriate potion for closing wounds. Ginny looked up at the two women weakly.

"Miss Weasley, dear, I'm going to owl your parents. You're going home," McGonagall said in a soft tone.

Ginny shook her head and tried to get up, but couldn't. "No, I have to stay here. If there's…. If there's a fight…."

"You would still be underage. You're not safe here anymore, I'm… I'm very sorry to say. You should go home," McGonagall replied, this time more firmly.

"They still have Neville and Luna," Ginny said quickly.

"For Merlin's sake, Madame Pomfrey, I'll be back, please owl her parents immediately," McGonagall said before dashing out of the room.

Ginny shook her head, tears streaming down her face and then Harry was sitting in the study with her.

She was breathing hard, her shoulders heaving. Harry tried to wrap his head around what he just saw as he watched her try to stop crying. He suddenly realized that tears were rolling down his cheeks as well.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry said quietly.

Ginny put her hand to her head, trying to calm herself down. "I-"

"Ginny, why didn't you tell me?" He had a hard time looking at her right then. He felt so much pain and remorse and regret over her ever having to be in pain and part of him wanted to hold and comfort her, and the other part was angry she never told him. "Ginny, they used Crucio…"

"I know," she said quietly.

"You should have told me," he said more resolutely.

"Honestly, I think I tried to forget it myself. I told you about the whipping-"

"But not the Crucio, Ginny! Damnit, not the part where they tortured you because of me!" Harry said, rising to his feet. It was his nightmare, the whole reason why he broke up with her. She still had gotten hurt.

"Harry, calm down-"

"What? No. Ginny you should have told me. It's… it's like lying," he said as he began to pace.

Ginny sighed and looked down at her hands. "Right, okay. I should have told you. But I knew you would act like this and we were dealing with so much with all of the deaths and building everything back up."

"No, no I wouldn't have. You wouldn't have been hiding it from me." Harry was trying to not yell, but it was starting to get hard not to.

"I wasn't _hiding_ it. I just… didn't tell you. I haven't really told anyone. If I absolutely didn't want you to ever know I would have remembered it when I offered for you to practice on me," she said as she wiped her face and tried to speak calmly. "And yes, you would have acted like this because you're more mad that it happened than that I didn't tell you."

Harry sat down in the desk chair and put his head in his hands. "It'll always be like this. You'll always be in danger-"

Ginny got up then. "Oh, no. No you're not doing that Harry. Yes, yes I'll always be in danger. But not JUST because of you. I will always be in danger because of my family. Because of ME."

"You're in MORE danger because of me. You heard them. They called you bait. I can't… and if we stay together forever. If we…. You'll just be bigger bait," Harry said, and for the first time in a while he sounded scared. "Gin, I can't lose you."

Ginny crossed the room and knelt beside him, taking his hands. "You're not. You're not. It's still not good out there, but the war's over. It's getting better. I told you, I'm not going anywhere." She smiled through her watery eyes and said, "You're not getting rid of me."

He ran his hand through her hair and then pulled her into his lap. They were quiet for a moment or so before she said softly, "I'm sorry. I should have told you. I just, I knew it would upset you. I wasn't fond of thinking about it. I had nightmares but… when we started sleeping together this summer they just went away."

Harry absentmindedly rubbed her arm with his thumb. "Have they come back?"

She shook her head and curled into him more. "Not really. Every once in a while, but not as bad."

Harry sighed. It was another thing to think about, to worry about. He once thought the stress would mostly end with Voldemort gone.

"I'm sorry," she finally said quietly.

Harry's anger had subsided and now he was just pained at the idea that she had to go through that pain. He thought back to the look she gave him in the Room of Requirement before the battle, how she acted after it was over.

He kissed her forehead and said, "I'm sorry that you had to- I just can't believe-" He couldn't even voice it. He thought about when Hermione had been given the Cruciatus curse. He thought about how he had felt, how Ron had acted. He had already understood, but not it was just clearer.

He pulled her in and kissed her. She pulled away and nodded. "It's over," she whispered. For a moment, they just looked at each other before resuming their kissing. Ginny was mussing up his hair more with one hand and admiring the more muscular parts that had developed since he began his Auror work. She still wasn't quite used to it, and it reminded her that the scrawny boy she had first fallen for was definitely turning into a man. Harry's hands roamed and he felt as his stress and tension began to ebb away. Ginny moved to straddle him to make it easier as he tugged off her shirt and started kissing down her neck and chest.

Ginny's breath hitched as more and more clothes were falling to the wayside. She pulled away from what she had been doing, which had been nibbling at his ear and sliding her hands up his chest.

"Harry?" she whispered, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck.

Harry made a bit of a noise in response, but wasn't to be deterred in what he was doing.

"Harry?" she said a little bit louder. She closed her eyes and instinctively thrust her hips forward when she felt his hand slide into her knickers. She knew she was about to lose all concentration, so she grabbed his hand and laid it on her leg.

He looked at her then, a bit confused. "Mmmhmmm?" he said, trying to regain his breath and cool down.

"Well…" Ginny started feeling a bit self-conscious. She laughed nervously and said, "Um, you know how I said that I thought we shouldn't have sex until after I'm all done with Hogwarts and we didn't have to do long distance?"

Harry definitely remembered that. He was okay with it. He understood it. She had suggested it would be hard enough as it was. He wasn't _crazy_ about it… especially after he found out Ron and Hermione hadn't decided to take that route, but Ginny seemed to really think it was a good idea, so he didn't fight it.

He nodded, unsure where this was going, and said, "Yes…"

"Well…." She started again, looking away for a moment. She took a deep breath and looked at him. "Well, I think that was kinda dumb."

That was definitely not what he expected. "Huh?"

She suddenly thought she should have had this conversation when she wasn't in only in her knickers, straddling her half-naked boyfriend. "Yeah, yeah I just think maybe I was wrong. That… that's not necessary. Instead we should just wait until we're both ready, you know? I mean Ron and Hermione are doing it and it doesn't seem to be an extra stress on their relationship. Actually I think Hermione said it helps for when they see each other again…"

Well, that helped Harry with the cooling down. "Ugh, Gin gross."

Ginny shook her head and made a face and said, "I know, right. Really gross. Not the point. The point is I don't think we have to wait until I graduate. I think we can just wait until we're… ready, right?"

Speeding up the when they can have sex timeline? He was definitely okay with that. He nodded quickly and said, "Right. Right that makes more sense. Yeah, it'll just happen when it happens. Much more sense." She shifted how she was sitting, which made him need to cool down a little bit again.

She smiled and nodded, completely oblivious to Harry's struggle, and said, "Great! Great. Well, I think I'm ready." She then watched him tentatively.

Harry looked at her surprised. Later he would realize that it was completely obvious what she was getting at, or maybe not as shocking as it had been to him. He then realized he hadn't said anything. "Really?" he asked, trying not to sound too excited.

She nodded.

"You mean now?"

She sort of shrugged a bit and said, "Oh, well, I mean yes, if you're ready… now." She laughed a little nervously and said, "I mean we've almost done everything else, you know." S_top saying 'I mean' and 'you know',_ she thought. "And I just…. I really love you a lot and I feel so comfortable with you. And well, now you definitely know more than anyone else and…yes, if you're ready." She felt really silly feeling this shy and nervous but it seemed like such a big step for both of them. She had looked away at some point in the ramble. She looked back at him and said, "I want to if you do."

Harry nodded quickly and said, "I want to, too."

She smiled demurely and asked quietly, "Are you sure?"

He put his hand at the nape of her neck so he could pull her into a kiss. The movement caused her to slide over his lap more. She moaned into the kiss from the friction. He pulled away just enough to look her in the eye and said, "Yes, very."

She smiled and said, "Okay."

He smiled back. "Okay."

She looked around a bit unsure and said, "Just-"

Harry shook his head and answered, "Not here."

Ginny smiled a little wider. "Not here."

Now they were kissing more fervently. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck and Harry slid one arm under her bum and used the other to help push him up. It would always amaze him how little she was, especially for how forceful and strong she could be. He was always a little afraid he would break her. He slid his hand up her back and tangled it into her hair as he walked them to his room.

When they got to his room, he laid her down on his bed before climbing over her. So far, she had been the one looking and sounding nervous. But now as she began unbuckling his belt and unfastening his jeans as they kissed, he was feeling a little worried. He was trying to remember all the advice, usually unsolicited, he had gotten from Ron, the twins, his dormmates and his coworkers over the years. His mind raced as she pulled down his jeans. His mind went blank for a moment as he felt her hand reach into his boxer shorts.

He groaned into her neck and began yanking down her knickers. She followed his cue and pulled off his boxers. They both tried not to stare. Ginny had drawn the line at completely going naked when they would fool around, saying she wasn't sure they would be able to stop. She was trying not to feel self-conscious. It seemed silly to feel shy when it was Harry. At the same time, it was _Harry._ The guy she was completely crazy about, that she's thinking "forever" about, and he was seeing her completely naked for the first time. And they were about to have sex for the first time. She thought his Auror training was doing him quite well, and she blushed when he caught her looking at his package. She suddenly wished she weren't so freckly, that her legs were longer, and her boobs bigger. She wished she knew how to pull off being sexy. It felt different than just flirtatious or coy. She tried to mentally prepare herself and calm her nerves. If she was this nervous it would just make things worse. She lived with a bunch of girls, and had heard enough that she thought she should be fine. At the same time, she was worried she wouldn't be very good at it.

Her nerves calmed a little as she watched the way Harry was looking at her. She took a sharp inhale as his hands began roaming over her and he started kissing her thighs. He still couldn't believe he was able to do this right then. He was starting to regain his worries again. _Shit_ he thought_ I should have gotten off before. I'm not going to last long enough. Shite, bugger, fuck… _He tried to remember the advice, the guy talk from the dorms, everything. _Okay,_ he thought as he continued to kiss up her thighs until he was at the part he hadn't been able to kiss before. _Okay there's still time I could…_ He heard her moan his name and he glanced up to see her back arched and her eyes closed. He thought that could have done it right there…. But then he suddenly didn't want to interrupt her. He wanted her to keep making noises like that. So he continued with what he had been doing as Ginny grabbed his hair. Other advice: try to get her as close as possible before. He could definitely work on that.

In the very back of her mind, Ginny was wondering why she had not come to tonight's revelation earlier. The rest wanted nothing more than touch, kiss and actually be having sex with Harry. She shuddered and whimpered, "Harry, please."

Harry took a deep breath because that nearly did him in. He moved over her and asked one more time, "Are you sure?"

She nodded and he thought he had never seen her eyes look so dark brown before. "Harry, now."

He quickly began kissing her neck as the two positioned themselves. Harry performed a quick contraceptive charm and suddenly remembered something else that had worried him before. He pulled away a bit and said, "But it'll hurt."

She smiled and said, "Just at first, probably. It'll be all right."

Harry still paused. "I don't want to hurt you."

Ginny look at him as if she were a bit confused and said, "Ok… well then… we should never have sex or I should have sex with someone else first…"

Harry understood what she was trying to say and said "Right" before resuming kissing her neck and shoulders, but still just hovering above her. She took his face in her hands and pulled him in for a fierce kiss. "Harry, I want you," she said very seriously before gasping and tilting her head back.

Harry was tracing some of the scars on her back as she laid her head on his chest. He didn't know how long it would take for him to be able to wipe the smile off his face. That had definitely been the stress relieving trick. It hadn't been the absolute best it could have been. He wished he could have definitely lasted longer and they had laughed once when they bumped heads but on the whole….it was mind-blowing to him.

Ginny was resting against his chest and tracing the scar that came from the Slytherin locket. She felt him kiss the top of her head and she smiled and looked up at him. It hadn't been perfect, but she thought it was good. She was looking forward to making it perfect, though, because she thought it had gotten off to a great start.

As she looked up at him, lazily smiling, he smiled back. "I love you, Gin."

She rested her head again, but continued to look at him. "I love you, too."

He suddenly wanted to tell her about what Ian said, but he was a little unsure of how she would take it. He was just deciding to forgo it when she noticed the look on his face. She looked a little confused as she asked, "Harry, what?"

He continued to trace along her back with one hand and began rubbing her arm with the other as he began to tell her. "Er, well. One of my team members is I dunno…. Eight or nine years older than me. He was telling me about how Ron and I should be…." He tried to think of a gentler term for it. "dating around."

Now she looked more confused. She sat up and tensed up a bit. "And you thought now was the best time to tell me this?"

"Well, yeah, because I told him I didn't want to, I didn't need to because I love you and want to be with you," Harry explained. Ginny relaxed and he began rubbing her arm again.

"And… with this holiday break… I don't want anyone else. I mean I didn't before, but I just… I can't see myself with anyone else. I want you to know that whatever those girls are saying… and the papers… and I know we're young… but I only ever want you," he said, with a very sincere look on his face.

She climbed more on top of him so she could look at him better, which made him very cognizant of the fact that they were both still naked and he had just started this serious note.

She smiled and leaned her head down to kiss him softly. "Me too. I love you so much and whatever anyone else says is rubbish. I want you." She shrugged a bit and said, "It's always been just you, Harry."

He pulled her in to kiss her more and groaned as she rubbed against him. _Calm down, Potter,_ he said. _She's probably not going to want to do it again so soon_. In between kisses she said, "You know… the more we do it… the better we'll get…"

Harry's eyes popped back open and he smirked, "Yeah?"

She moved her kisses to his neck and whispered in his ear, "And you know how competitive I am…. And how I… really love practicing… so I can be the best…"

Harry's hands moved to her hips as she rolled against him. She was hoping she was doing this right, and by his reactions she thought she was. "Mmmhmmm…" he said in a distracted tone.

She nibbled on his ear and said, "And if I remember right…. You have that same… drive…too." She rolled against him again, this time making both of them moan at the feel of them rubbing against each other.

Harry slid his hand between the two of them, rubbing her clit and relishing in her bucking and gasping. "Definitely," he said, eyeing her. "Let's practice?"

She smirked and giggled a bit as he helped her position herself above him. Maybe she would get the hang of this, after all.


	32. Stress Relief

When Hermione and Ginny got off the train and spotted Ron and Harry, Ginny immediately took off. Hermione smiled broadly at the sig of Ron all in one piece. Instead of breaking into a run, jumping into his arms and making a complete spectacle, Hermione walked briskly to him. Just before she got to him she did drop the levitating charm on her bag and then throw her arms around his neck. They held each other tightly and Hermione inhaled deeply, taking in his smell.

"Missed you," Hermione said, still holding him tightly.

"Missed you, 'Mione," Ron said, pulling away so he could get a good look at her before giving her a kiss. He wrapped an arm around her, levitated her bag and walked with her towards Harry and Ginny. Hermione smiled contently and wrapped her arm around his waist. She chuckled when Ron had to break up Harry and Ginny, and turned into Ron's chest as all of the cameras' flashes continued to go off.

Back at the Burrow, Hermione felt so relaxed. She was so stressed at school with NEWTs and worrying over Ron and Harry, and the Burrow was a welcome break. She was going to stay for a week and then go home for Christmas, and then come back just before New Year's since they would have to go back to school shortly after New Year's Day. As she watched Ron laughing, talking, and stealing glances at dinner, she wished a bit she could stay at the Burrow longer, but then the very next moment she would miss her parents or get nervous about visiting post memory spell. Things were pretty good when she left for school, but not back to how it was before she had to put a spell on them. At some point she must have looked distracted and perplexed, because she became alert again after Ron grabbed her hand under the table. They gave each other a little smile, and then she rejoined the conversation.

After dinner she played a game of chess with Ron, which was always interesting. Hermione sometimes got so frustrated because Ron would beat her almost every time.

"Checkmate," Ron said, leaning back in his chair, a bit of a smug look on his face.

"There is no way!" Hermione exclaimed, looking at the pieces. "Absolutely no way!"

"Well, Hermione, thank you for the shock, but yeah, I just beat you again. I think that was in record time," Ron said, still looking and sounding a bit smug.

"I suppose so…" Hermione said, surprised at how quickly she was beat. He did beat her more often than she could possibly count, which used to her annoy her more until she found out he thought it was cute when she would get so upset over losing. Apparently it was just adorable to him when Harry did better in potions the year he had Snape's old potions book. So now she would generally get upset during and in the end, but she didn't hold on to the anger much longer after that.

Ron rested his elbows on his knees and leaned over, studying her a bit. "Your head wasn't really in the game."

Hermione sighed and sank back into the sofa. "I suppose not."

Ron furrowed his brow and then stood up. "Come on. Why don't we go on a walk or something?"

"What? Now?" she asked, looking at the time.

Ron rolled his eyes as he grabbed his coat. "No, tomorrow morning. Just putting it on the agenda. Yes, now. Come on. It'll uh… it'll be like old times."

He held a hand out to her. She gave him a look for being sarcastic, but then took his hand and let him help her up. She grabbed her coat, gloves, scarf and a hat and made her way to the door before seeing Ron's state and stopping.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Ron, you can't go out in only a coat. It's snowing."

Ron smirked and said, "Thanks, mum. But I think I'll be fine."

Hermione sighed and grabbed his scarf and gloves and handed it to him. "I'm serious." She then grabbed his toboggan and pulled it onto his head. When she looked at his face, he was grinning down at her. She smirked back at him, took his scarf and wrapped it around him, tugging down on the ends just enough so that he would lean down towards her. He closed the distance to give her a kiss. As they snogged Hermione snuck her hands up to his toboggan and then quickly tugged it so it covered part of his face.

She laughed and flew out of the door as he yelled "Hermione," fixed his hat, and dashed out the door.

When he got out the door, he immediately started making snowballs and throwing them at her as he chased after her.

"Ah! Ron!" she yelled as she laughed and tried to dodge the snowballs. She noticed that he winced from the cold and she stopped long enough to put her hands on her hips and yell, "Oh, is the snow too cold? Hm, I guess you should have put on your gloves."

Ron made a face and decided to forgo the snowballs in order to better chase her. Again they were laughing and yelling as he chased her down. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up before pulling her down with him in the snow. She was laughing hard as she turned towards him. He smiled and brushed off the hair that had fallen onto her face. She had one leg crossed over onto his, an arm on his chest, and her head resting on his upper arm. She moved some of his fringe out of his eyes as she regained her breath.

She snuggled in a bit closer and said, "I missed you."

He smiled a bit and moved his arm up so it brought her head to his so that he could kiss the top of it. "Missed you, too."

"Just six more months," she said into his chest. It seemed like an eternity to her. He was thinking the same thing.

He also began thinking of last year, of how he had been gone by this time and she was off almost dying in Godric's Hollow. "I'm sorry about last year," he said as he stared up at the winter sky.

She picked at a ball of fuzz on his coat and said, "You've apologized enough."

Ron continued to stare at the stars, which was what he actually did all of those nights when he was alone. "It was the worst time of my life."

She looked up at him then. "The absolute worst? Even worse than the week after the war ended?"

"Oh, yeah, of course. Last winter I was alone and felt horrible about leaving you two, and I kept thinking about if one of us died… how I had last acted with you. I felt like an idiot. And I couldn't find you two. Didn't know if you were safe. After the war ended I was really sad and it was hard, with Fred, but… the war was over. And…I…er… had you finally. And, you know, the war was over," he said. She smiled into his coat.

"I think that was the worst period for me, too." She thought a little bit longer and said, "Well, the first two months of Hogwarts were miserable, oh and fourth year when we were fighting… that was awful. No, no…" she said as she was thinking, "That period when you dated Lavender was unbearable. Just awful." Ron felt his insides turn. "But, I think you're right. I think last winter was the worst."

"Merlin, Hermione. All your worst times have to do with me screwing up," he said, feeling pretty awful with himself. Why on Earth was she with him?

"Yes, I guess you're right, but I think that says something-"

"Yeah, I'm an arse who makes your life miserable for a good chunk of time at least once a year," he said, staring back up at the stars again.

"No, no that whenever we had a really bad row it's worse for me because I liked you so much and.. later… loved you so much. The worst times were when I couldn't be with you," she said, looking up at him and hoping he would stop beating himself up and look down at her. "Think about it, other than last winter, when have been your worst times?"

He looked down at her then and thought about it. "Last winter's the worst. And then… Malfoy's manor. That was… that might have been worse than last winter. That was… hearing you… It was bloody terrible. I was pretty miserable when you were dating Krum and we weren't talking. Earlier that year when Harry and I weren't talking. And… second year when you were petrified."

She gave him a small smile and said, "Even then? In second year?"

"Well," Ron said, sounding like it was no big deal, "I don't know if I had feelings for you yet but you were one of my best friends so… yeah. Yeah it sucked."

She smiled wider and leaned up to kiss him. He cradled her face in his hand and kissed her back.

She pulled away and rested her chin on his chest and said, "Okay. Well all of these things happened because we got mad and just stopped talking to each other. So, I think that means-"

"What? We shouldn't ever fight? Uh… we fight ALL the time," Ron said, jumping in.

"Don't interrupt, Ron. It's rude." He shook his head. "And we don't FIGHT all the time. We just… argue and banter a lot. We can argue. But if we genuinely get mad we just have to promise ourselves we're not going to stop talking to one another. Besides, most of these happened because one of us was jealous. Generally, you…"

"Okay, okay. I will try not to get so jealous. And I promise I won't stop talking to you."

"Good! We'll be wonderful, then," she said resolutely.

He smiled down at her and said, "Yeah, we will." He then began picking himself up and trying to help her up as he said, "Come on, we were going on a walk."

Hermione loved walking in the snow, especially when it was fresh with no footsteps. After forcing Ron to finally put on his gloves, they walked around the grounds of the Burrow holding hands, catching up on work and Hogwarts.

"This reminds me of third year," she said after a while as they began walking back.

He smiled. "Hm, yeah. Except we didn't do this," he said, raising their intertwined hands. He then stopped walking. "Or this…" he let go of her hand so he could wrap his arms around her waist and pull her in to snog. She snaked her arms around his neck and melted into the kiss. He felt as she relaxed into his arms, which he was pretty grateful for because she was so wound up earlier. He slid his hand down to grab her bum and pull her closer to him. Hermione's breath hitched, and she got on her tippy toes so that she could get closer to him.

He pulled away and rested his head against hers. "Don't tell Harry I said this but… Harry not having permission to go to Hogsmeade might have been one of the best things to happen, at least for us."

Hermione laughed and said, "I agree. So it'll be our secret."

Ron smiled back at her. "You know you seem pretty stressed earlier, and again when you were talking about Hogwarts. You know, more wound up than usual."

She sighed a little and said, "Yes, well, NEWTs and Head Girl duties are pretty stressful."

He swayed her a bit as they continued the way they were standing. "I think I have an idea how to relieve the stress."

She perked up a bit and looked at him. "Oh, do you have some good tea?"

He laughed and said, "Uh, probably. But I was thinking more like… a massage."

She smirked and said, "Oh, ok. Yes, that sounds much better."

They headed back to the house and straight to Ron's room. They didn't even bother turning on the lights. Just as Hermione kicked off her shoes and was about to sit down on the bed Ron said, "Oh, it would probably be better if you took off your shirt."

She smirked at him and put her hands on her hips. He raised his hands in a surrender position and said, "What? I'm serious. It's better to massage bare skin, right?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and said, "Hm, I suppose so." She then locked the door and took off her sweater.

Ron didn't try to contain his smile. It had been a while since he had seen Hermione in her bra. "You know… it might be better without the bra too, without it being in the way and all."

"Ronald Weasley…" she said with a chuckle, but she shrugged and unclasped her bra. Her face still burned whenever she saw the face he made when he saw any part of her naked.

Ron took new mental pictures of her half naked before looking back up at her and saying, "This still relatively new level of our relationship is just… just wicked by the way. Just awesome."

She giggled and stepped up to him, tugging on the hem of his shirt. "I agree. I think it's only fair, though, if we're at the same level of nakedness."

He nodded and gulped. "Yeah… yeah, totally." He pulled off his shirt as she laid down on her stomach on the bed.

Ron sat over her and started kneading her back. In all honesty, he hadn't ever given her massage, or at least one that was more than just her shoulders, and he definitely had never given any other girl a massage.

He must have been doing it right, though, because she kept moaning, making his pants feel incredibly tight. Her back and shoulders were full of knots.

"Bloody hell, Hermione. You're really bloody tense," he said as he tried kneading a particular knot in her upper back.

She moaned again and Ron had to bite his lip. "Well," she said between exhales, "I told you I'm really stressed."

He continued to rub her shoulders, occasionally seeing sideboob. It was getting more and more difficult for him to concentrate on her massage. When he got a particular spot, she not only moaned but arched her back in a way that she inadvertently pushed her butt straight into his crotch. "Goodness, Ron, that one felt amazing."

He couldn't contain the groan.

He began moving further and further to her sides, until he eventually slipped his hands under her so that he was now massaging her breasts.

Her breath hitched. She kept her eyes closed, but she smirked. "Ron, that's not my back."

He leaned in close to her ear, to the point where she could feel his breath, and said, "But it still feels really good, right?"

He brushed a thumb over her right nipple and she whimpered. "Yes, yes… it does still feel… quite good."

He turned her over and continued to knead one breast as he brought his mouth to the other. She gasped and he whispered, "Mione… just relax."

She nodded and relaxed under his ministrations. Her toes curled and little moans and gasps escaped her lips, and Ron was reveling in it. He moved his lips down her torso and moved his hands to pull down her stockings. He thought back to all of the times he had imagined that very act while in school. He sat up to pull her stockings the rest of the way off, and kiss the inside of her knee. He moved over her and kissed her hard, returning his hand to her breasts.

"I love you, Hermione," he whispered.

She opened her eyes then and ran her hands up his arms. She gave him a soft look and said, "I love you, too, Ron."

He smiled and kissed her again. "All right you can relax again, sorry."

She smiled and ran a hand up through his now shaggy hair. "You don't ever have to say you're sorry for telling me you love me." She then furrowed her brow and said, "You need a haircut, Ron."

"Relax…" Ron whispered in her ear as he slipped his hand into her knickers.

She gasped and sank into the mattress, and Ron attacked her neck with kisses as he began to rub her clit.

Her toes curled again and she muttered, "God, Ron…" He smiled into her neck. He had been in love with her for years, and had had feelings and been attracted to her since before that, but he hadn't imagined the physical part of a relationship with her would be as amazing as it was. First off, he got a lot of his awkward moments out of the way with Lavender; even though he would rather it had been with Hermione. Second, he had thought she would have been closed up and shy about the physical parts, but instead her practical side made her treat it as an essential part of a romantic relationship, and her bossy and talkative side made her not afraid to tell him what was working and what she wanted, and in turn ask the same of him. Third, she looked even hotter than he could have imagined when they were fooling around or shagging. Her hair was wild and seemed like a sort of representation of how well he thought he did that night. He could touch her all day long because she was just so nice and soft and curvy. And the way she looked when she was losing it? It was more than enough to set him off. Finally, he absolutely loved that she was one of the most uptight girls he has ever known, but _he_ could make her lose control daily. That point was punctuated by him sliding a finger inside her, and her bucking and whispering, "Oh… shite…" He was already getting her to curse? This was going to be a fantastic shag session. He might have to give her a massage every time if it meant she would already be so relaxed.

Meanwhile, Hermione had really no complaints she could think of. With Ron, things were always passionate, whether they were coming off a row or he was being overly attentive like he was now. At first she thought it was just because they had bottled up these feelings and emotions for so many years, but she soon realized that's just how they were, and she couldn't be happier. She noticed generally, he was in extremely attentive mode. It was as if he was still making up for lost time or still relishing in the fact that they could be together in that way. He made her feel amazing, and he always seemed to try harder or find new ways to make her melt. She had always hated her hair and thought she was a bit frumpy, especially compared to Ginny and her petite body and smooth hair. She had never thought she was huge or overweight by any means, but she had just wished to be more toned and smaller. Ron, though, was always going on in private about how he loved her hair and her curves. The way he attended her breasts, hips, and bum made her lose all qualms about her body shape and size. She swore that every time she saw him, he was getting more and more attractive. She recently began appreciating how muscular he was getting. She loved tall, lanky Ron, but she was also starting to love tall, muscular Ron. He also seemed to have a different sort of… air about him ever since they started dating. Not as cocky as when he was dating Lavender, but something that made her embarrassed by the amount of times she wanted to pull him into a secluded room because she knew he would confidently make her squirm. She wished they had been this way in school or that he was there this year, she thought she might be a much more agreeable person.

She moaned and squirmed under his touch, and he watched her to see when he should let up a little and when he should go further. His new goal for the break was to just get her off as much as possible so she would be completely relaxed when she went back to school. There were times he worried about him not being with her. He knew she overworked herself in third year, especially when he and Harry weren't being very good friends to her. He knew she would do brilliantly on NEWTs, and so he just wanted to make sure she was content and not stressed. Sometimes he might have added stress in school… okay a lot of times… but he also thought he and Harry had been a calming influence that forced her to let go and keep from imploding.

"Oh, Ron," she groaned, gripping his arm tightly. Ron exhaled. He couldn't let this get him off, too.

"Kiss me," she said breathlessly. Ron immediately obliged as he switched his attention back to her clit.

She cried into his mouth and gripped the back of his neck. "Oh, bugger… Oh, I'm so close."

Ron tugged on her lip with his teeth and then whispered, "Come on, love. Come on, 'Mione."

"Faster…" she exhaled. She opened her eyes to see him smirking at her, and she thought she could have come right then.

"Sure thing," he said as he moved his mouth to where he knew she was particularly sensitive, her breast, and began moving his thumb faster.

Only seconds later she was arching her back as she cried her out. He slowed down his movements, but didn't stop them completely as he watched her ride it out.

He slipped his hand out of her knickers and watched as she tried to regain her breath, cheeks pink and chest heaving. He took more mental pictures for when they had to spend months apart again. Her hair was a mess everywhere and it made him smile. She had managed to get them into soft curls today, but between the snow and this relaxation session, it was bushy and wild.

She opened her eyes to him staring at her. She wasn't sure she would ever get used to it, but she knew it made her feel wonderful every time.

She beamed at him as she caught her breath. "That was lovely."

He chuckled. "Lovely? Really?"

She nodded, a hand going to her hair. "Yes, really… lovely. Thank you."

He crawled over her, started working on her skirt and said, "Not done yet. I… I need you Hermione."

She pulled his face in for a kiss and said, "I need you, too."

They snogged as they worked on removing their clothes and casting contraception spells. Hermione ran her hands down his back and over his bum and sighed a bit. "Ron, you keeping more and more attractive every time I see you."

A boyish grin appeared on his face and he thought he never felt so invincible. "Yeah?"

Hermione smiled a little and said, "Yes, it's actually been quite difficult keeping my hands off you."

Her mouth was immediately covered by his. He slid his hands up her leg as he positioned himself and slid inside her.

She arched and thrusted her pelvis into his. "Fuck," he muttered.

"Ronald, language…oh," she said as he began moving inside her.

"You know you'll say it in a few minutes," he growled into her ear before nipping it.

He continued to move in her, and bite his lip after particular hip rolls from Hermione, but he was getting frustrated from how difficult it was to touch and kiss her at this position.

"Can we switch so that you're on top?" he asked, sliding his hands under her back.

She nodded, mumbling "yeah" as she pushed herself up so that they could flip over.

When she repositioned herself and slid over him, she sighed and said, "Goodness, why don't we do this every time?"

Ron smiled lazily and moved his hands to her hips and said, "We say that every time." He helped to rock her, and once they were in a rhythm he slid one hand up and down her leg, while the other one slid between them to rub her.

"Oh, fuck," she exclaimed. Success. "I'm serious, Ron. Every time from now on."

Ron laughed and said, "Not _every_ time." She slid her hand up to her hair, closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Maybe that wasn't a bad suggestion after all.

Hermione was trying to keep in control enough so that she could think, and she was not being very successful at it. Ron kept guiding her hips or touching her in a way that would almost send her off the edge. She rested her hands on his chest and looked down at him. He opened his eyes and stared up at her. She decided to lift herself up and then slowly bring herself back down. They both moaned. She repeated the movement a few times but could feel herself on the edge.

"Ron…I'm about to.. to…" she managed to say before slowly moving again. He added friction with his thumb and she moaned.

"Ah, fuck I can tell," he groaned, trying to keep it together a little bit longer. "Me, too. Fuck, Hermione. You're so bloody hott." How was he surviving without her right now?

Hermione didn't scold him for his language this time. In fact, his declaration and another hip roll sent her over.

Ron couldn't hold back any longer once she began shuddering around him. He grasped her hips and then let go.

"Bloody hell…" he muttered as she breathed heavily over him.

She took a moment and then rolled off of him so that she was lying beside him. She pushed her hair out of her face and regained her breath. "That was absolutely amazing. Are… are you sure you don't want to go back to school?"

"Are you sure you don't want to drop out?" he responded.

She groaned and he pulled her into him. They lay there a few minutes before she said, "Remember the clothes rule."

She pulled herself away and padded over to her bag to grab a nightgown. Ron sat up and watched her walk across his room stark naked.

"Hey, come back over here," he said. She turned around with a coy smile.

"What?" she asked as she walked over, a fresh nightgown and knickers in her hand.

Ron stayed seated and pulled him to her so that the top of her stomach and bottom of her chest was at head level. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her torso. She leaned down so she could kiss the top of his head. It was still unreal to her how loving they could be with each other. They had come so far from the previous year.

He pulled her into his lap so he could kiss her and let his hands explore, and she smiled into this kiss. She pulled away and put her forehead against his.

"As amazing as that was," she said softly, brushing fringe out of his eyes, "We should go to bed, Ron. Aren't you exhausted?"

He nodded. They had only been back from their last failed mission for about five days, and most of that was spent furiously working so they could have a holiday break. "We just… we don't have a whole lot of time."

She gave him a sad look as she finger combed his hair. "Well, you were completely successful in making me feel stress free tonight. Mission accomplished."

He gave her a devilish look and said, "Oh, tonight was only day one."

She chuckled and pulled away so she could put on her knickers and nightgown. "We definitely should get some rest then."

Ron groaned a bit and pulled some boxers out of his drawer as Hermione picked up their dirty clothes. Ron grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the bed, "Don't worry about, Hermione."

She gave him a look before tossing the clothes into a pile for the morning and climbing into his bed. As she snuggled up to him, he said, "I'm glad you're home."

She smiled a little at the sound of that. "Me too."

_Author's note:_ _I realized I hadn't done Ron and Hermione in ages! (Well, before today I hadn't done anything in ages… but chapter wise I hadn't done another couple in too long.) Now that I got some of the Harry/Ginny stuff I had planned out of the way hopefully I'll get to more even writing and interludes!_


	33. All of the Places

It was three days before Christmas. The boys said they were going to have dinner with coworkers and then come hang out with them after… but it was almost midnight and the boys hadn't come back. Hermione was pacing in Ginny's room, while Ginny was perusing a Quidditch magazine.

"How are you so calm?" Hermione said nervously to Ginny.

Ginny didn't look up from her magazine as she said, "They said they were going for dinner and drinks with their co-workers. They've just been doing paperwork this week, so they're probably not in any danger. They're actually probably piss drunk with their coworkers. Am I annoyed? Yes. Do I think that a better time to do this would be when we were at Hogwarts? Definitely." She looked up then and said, "They're fine. Go to bed. I'm sure he'll be stumbling in in a few hours and you can tear his head off."

Hermione put her hands on her hips and looked worried. "You're right. You're right." She sighed and said "See you in the morning" as she headed to Ron's room.

It felt odd being in their by herself. Maybe she should sleep in Ginny's room, teach him a lesson. She thought she would feel better, though, if she knew when exactly he came home. She sighed again and flopped onto the bed. For a little while she stared at his clock before pulling out the small bag of her things she had hidden under his bed, grabbing her nightgown and changing for bed. She was getting less worried and more annoyed as she thought about what Ginny had said. After a "hmpf!" she crawled into bed and said angrily, "Nox."

She awoke to laughter and the loud noise of something running into solid wood. She narrowed her eyes a bit and sat up as she watched Harry help Ron stumble in. The two reeked of firewhiskey and God knows what other alcohol.

"Oh!" she said in a frustrated tone as she stomped over to them. "What were you thinking not letting us know you were staying out? And how did you two even get back?"

Harry was able to stand up steadier and he said with a proud look on his face, "Apparated, of course!"

Hermione's jaw dropped. "You could have splinched yourselves!"

"Mione.. pet… you worry way too much. Do I need to help with that some more…" He stumbled towards her and tried to lean into her, but she easily pushed him away, her eyes never leaving Harry.

"We're so late because I had to sober up enough to Apparate us. We weren't going to get splinched. We're not total idiots, Hermione," Harry said. Hermione eyed him. He did seem loads better than Ron, but she still didn't think he was completely himself.

"Well, the verdict's still out on that one," she said, crossing her arms.

"All right then, I'll be off to bed," Harry said before bowing and then teetering slightly. Ron broke out into a fit of giggles while Hermione was unamused.

She then turned on Ron. "And I expect I'm supposed to take care of you now?"

"Mione… Mione… you've ALWAYS taken care of me…" Ron said, slurring his words a bit.

Her arms remained crossed. "Maybe that's part of the problem. What on EARTH were you thinking getting so drunk and coming back late when we had plans? You DO remember I'm leaving in two days, don't you?"

"Right…right… I was just thinking, I was thinking I was really glad we weren't in a tent. We were doing stupid work in the office but we got to still get home. And then… then someone pulled out these little candies," he started showing how small with his fingers, and she raised an eyebrow. "And they were George's! Yeah, yeah from Wizardly Wheezes. Weasley's Wheezes." He looked confused for a moment up at Hermione, who was giving no help as she continued to look at him with an unamused face and crossed arms. "Well, you know what it's called. So they had Wheezes candy. So great. So great. They made all this stuff happen that was SO FUNNY. No, really, Mione. REALLY FUNNY. And I thought 'That's my brother.'" He smiled for a moment and Hermione began to soften just a bit. Then his smile fell. "And then I thought that it should be 'brothers," you know? It should be brothers." Hermione dropped her arms. "And then I thought about my mum's ugly sweaters." He looked a bit confused. "There should be a Fred sweater on Christmas, but there won't be. There won't, Hermione. Fred's not going to be there and that just… it just really sucks." Hermione's face was a mixture of worry and pity. She walked towards him and took his hand. "And then I drank a lot of Firewhiskey because it tastes… well it's not the best… but it has that cool fire feel when you drink it and I stopped thinking about sweaters."

Hermione's eyes watered a bit and she nodded. She couldn't bring herself to be mad at him anymore, and instead she just made a note to make sure tonight wasn't a regular occurrence. "That makes sense," she said as she tried to give him a smile. "How about you go to sleep now?"

Ron shook his head and pulled her close to him. She scrunched her nose at his breath on her face. "No… I've got that mission. Mamember?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her and appeared to try to stand up straight even though he was swaying.

Hermione untangled herself from him and turned him to his bed. "I'm positive you have ingested way too much alcohol for _any_ of that to work tonight."

Ron scoffed as he sat down on the bed. He tried to grab for her arms but she quickly walked backwards away from him. She grabbed her wand and quietly summoned some bread and water.

"Here, eat," she said, handing the bread and glass of water to him before moving to sit on top of his desk.

Ron narrowed his eyes at her for moving away and then smirked. "I've imagined shagging you on that desk. Whaddayou think of that?" He gave her a look that made her think he was trying to show how impressive that remark was.

She crossed her arms and gave him a mildly amused look. "I think it's… interesting."

He tried mirroring her by crossing his arms and cocking his head like hers. "Theennn you'll probably think it's interesting that I've imagined shagging you pretty much everywhere in this room."

She feigned an impressed look to cover her desire to chuckle. "Really? Is that all?"

He scoffed. "No. I've imagined shagging you…." He looked around a bit and said, "pretty much everywhere we've ever been."

Hermione bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. Oh, he was going to be so embarrassed in the morning. "Everywhere? That's a lot of places, Ron."

"Yeah, well, I've had loads of time to imagine. Just… years," he said, raising his eyebrows, looking and sounding as if he was still making incredibly impressive statements.

She had to squeeze the desk to keep her cool. She felt a bit torn. She either should still be annoyed at this drunken behavior or worried and sad about the reason that caused it. Either way she should be putting him to bed and not keeping herself from giggling.

"And where would your favorite place be?" she asked as he took a bite of the bread.

"There's LOADS Hermione," he said in an exasperated tone.

"Ronald, don't talk with your mouth full!"

"Hey-" he said, pointing the piece of bread at her, continuing to talk with a full mouth. "Don't ask me…. a question…. when I'm eating if you don't want me to talk with my mouf full."

She was barely containing the laughter.

"Okay… favorite places… favorite places…well the Gryffindor dormitories, of course… and when we'd play chess at Grimmauld Place… my room at Grimmauld Place…" She could already feel herself start to blush. "The loo during Yule Ball- no! No! The Prefect lavatories."

"The Yule Ball?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, you were bloody hot and that git had his hands all over you," he said, ripping a huge bite of bread with his teeth with a slight growl. "I mean, first I just thought about snogging you, 'course. But when I thought about the Ball later…"

Hermione had to cover her mouth with her hand.

"The Quidditch locker rooms…" he said wistfully.

She rolled her eyes. "Quidditch, of course. And why would I be in there? I've never been in there before."

"You know…" he said, shrugging his shoulders and sounding like it was obvious. "You're coming to congratulate me after a game. Like Lavender used to do."

"Excuse me?" she said, anger flowing back in full force.

His eyes widened and he said, "What? What? No… I didn't mean JUST like Lavender used to do 'cause… you know we didn't shag. You know, just like when she would sneak in to snog-"

Hermione put her fingers to her temple and looked down, "And moving on."

"Oh… the library… yeah, the library…" he said with a nostalgic smile.

Hermione fully blushed at the way he said that. "Ron, what could you possibly find sexy about me hunched over those big dusty books?"

"You're just so… serious… and uptight… in your skirt and knee socks and Gryffindor uniform…" he said, his eyes closing for a moment.

Hermione coughed loudly, feeling very odd about potentially interrupting him from having dirty thoughts about her.

He took a large gulp of water and said, "My favorite… my absolute favorite?" He stared at her for a beat as if he were in deep thought. She tilted her head as if she were waiting and interested. "Gryffindor common room." He crossed his arms and leaned back on his bed so that he was resting against the wall, looking quite sure and proud of his final decision.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Honestly? Of all the places… your sexiest fantasies were in the Gryffindor Common Room?"

"Yeah," he said as he got up. As he tried to saunter towards her he staggered a bit and she had to cover her mouth to keep from giggling again. He was standing close enough to her that he was towering over her and she could smell the Firewhiskey on his breath again. "You'd be going on about some essay… probably cross… looking so serious. So… hot." As she looked up at him while he said this, it was getting harder and harder to neither laugh nor turn away in embarrassment. "And I'd push off all the parchment and the quills, and you'd just get more cross, 'course." He was leaning in very close, and she looked away with a blush. "Then I'd lay you down on the table… tug on your knee socks…" She was getting more and more cognizant of his hot breath on her neck. "I'd slide my hand up your skirt…" he slid his hand up her thigh and her breath caught in her throat. As he leaned his forehead against hers she said, "Ron…"

He moved his mouth near her ear, his scruffy face rubbing against her cheek, and said, "Or on the sofa… with the fire…one of those late nights. Harry's gone off to bed and it's just us…"

His thumb kneaded her thigh as his other arm snaked around her back. He leaned against the desk between her legs for balance. She slid a hand up his chest, her eyes now closed, and repeated, "Ron…"

"There were so many places. I thought…. I thought if I just could make a move…" he began to kiss the curve of her neck, just where she was most sensitive.

She let out a light moan and whispered, "Ron…."

"So stupid…" He began to slide his hand under the back of her shirt when she pushed him off.

"Ron, we shouldn't. We can't, probably," she said, shaking her head and pulling away.

He looked at her a little confused and said, "Let me…" he hiccupped "… make it up to you. You can still get a turn…"

She smiled faintly, but stood her ground. "No, not tonight. We should just go to bed. Besides, you still have work in the morning."

Ron groaned and hung his head. Hermione squirmed enough that she could hop off the desk before grabbing his arm and dragging him to bed.

"Come on now," she said as she tugged him. "Did you finish your water?"

He gave her an upset look and nodded.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Don't act like a child. Now let's get you undressed and then you can get in bed."

Ron begrudgingly shed his clothes to his boxers and climbed into bed. Hermione shut off the lights and slid in beside him. She was amazed at how he was fighting to not go to bed, and yet he looked like he was already almost out cold.

"Ron…" she whispered, turning towards him.

"Mmmhmmm…" he said, half awake.

"Quite a few of those places you imagined… I imagined, too," she said into his chest.

"Wow, that's brill…." And then there were snores.

She smirked. He probably wouldn't remember all he told her in the morning, and she definitely didn't think he would remember what she said. She adjusted her pillow and herself to be more comfortable, and then began thinking about just what might have happened if he had made a move all of those times as she drifted to sleep.

When Hermione's alarm went off, she woke up a little more tired than usual, but it wasn't too much of a struggle. Ron, on the other hand, was still dead asleep.

"Ron," she said, shaking him awake. He grunted and turned away.

"Ron!" she repeated, louder. He groaned and pulled the covers up to his chin. She, in turn, grabbed her wand and sprayed him in the face with water.

"Bloody hell, Hermione!" Ron shouted as he jolted awake. Hermione's response was merely an innocent look. Ron groaned more and rubbed his head.

"What's wrong, Ron? Headache?" she asked, her "I told you so" look on her face.

Ron groaned again and gave her an annoyed look.

"Well, time to get up, sweetheart! Don't want to be late for work!" she said, giving him a smile.

"Arghh, Hermione. But I feel awful," Ron said as he tried to crawl back under the covers.

"Next time don't get drunk the night before you have work. Up! Up!" she said, shoving him out of the bed.

Ron pulled himself up and continued to rub his head, trying to remember the night. "Ugh, did I get sick last night?"

"No," Hermione replied, "You weren't that bad, thank goodness."

He continued to rub his head, looking confused, as he began collecting his clothes when suddenly he stopped cold. "Um… Hermione… what did we… talk… about last night?"

Hermione smirked and cocked her head. "Oh, well first you told me about why you drank so much, and then you proceeded to tell me every place you have ever imagined having sex with me," she said matter-of-factly.

Ron coughed and grimaced. It was starting to come back to him. "Bugger…"

Hermione continued to smirk as he blushed. "Go shower and run along to breakfast. You'll be late."

He looked at her confused and said, "But aren't you going to come eat breakfast, too?" Generally she would wake up the same time as the boys and eat breakfast with them before they went off to work.

"For some reason I didn't get as much sleep as usual… so I think I might just go back to sleep for a little bit," she said with a smile. She then crawled back under the covers and turned away. "Be sure to grab Harry and make sure he's awake when you go down there. Have a lovely day!"

Ron groaned again and trudged towards the bathroom.

_Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews and suggestions! I'm definitely taking them into consideration._


	34. A PreParty Row

Harry sighed as he watched Ginny lean over the counter and chat away with Aberforth. Actually, it mostly looked like Ginny talking and using her persuading tone, and Aberforth begrudgingly responding. Harry checked his watch and wondered when Ron and Hermione would be over to help. When he looked back up Aberforth was retreating to his room while Ginny was bounding over.

"But none of you are staying here for the night! I'm not running some sort of … teenage… brothel…" Aberforth yelled grumpily as he reached the top of the stairs.

Ginny giggled and stopped her almost skipping when she reached Harry

"All right! Time to clean it and get it ready! We can only use temporary charms, though. He wants it to look just as dirty and grungy tomorrow," she said. "It adds to the atmosphere," she added dramatically with a twinkle in her eye.

Harry smiled faintly as he looked around the dirty pub and thought about how they got in their current situation.

He had stumbled into Ginny's room a few nights before Christmas after a night of drinking. He wasn't drunk, but he realized he was a little tipsier than he had thought as he washed up before entering Ginny's room. Maybe Hermione was right about that splinching thing…

Ginny woke to the sound up someone stumbling around her room. She glanced over her shoulder and could barely make out Harry feeling his way to the bed with one hand and trying to tug his shirt off with the other.

She groaned loudly and rolled back over towards the wall.

"Oh… I woke you… sorry Gin Gin…" Harry said. Hermione had been hacked off. He hadn't seen Ginny mad in a while, and he didn't want to see it so soon.

Ginny rolled her eyes at "Gin Gin."

"It's fine, whatever," she grumbled, trying to get comfortable again. "Just be quiet and go to bed."

_Well… damn._ he thought. He took off his jeans and then slid under the covers with her.

He tentatively slid his arms around her and she smirked and rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't see that, at the smell of firewhiskey on his breath.

"Have fun, did we?" Ginny asked as she tried to resituate and get comfortable yet again.

Harry winced a bit. "Not… not really. Just a bit. Been stressed with all of the Occlumency and Leglimency and we were just…" What was the phrase? "Just letting off some steam." He hoped he would escape her anger. "You're mad, aren't you?"

Ginny was a little surprised at the worry in his voice. She turned around to face him and said, "Well… I wish you'd told us. We sort of had plans. And I wish you hadn't woken me up. Hermione was the one all bent out of shape. She was worried you two were out on some mission you had been roped into around dinnertime. I don't care if you go drinking with your team."

Harry just blinked at her. "You don't?"

Ginny chuckled at him and his dumbfounded look. "Well, as long as you're not stupid, no. You don't seem off enough to go and splinch yourselves. And you didn't drunkenly snog someone, did you?"

Harry shook his head rapidly. "Course not."

"Ok well… you're grown ups and I'm not your mum. I'm not going to tell you not to drink. Actually, if anything I wish I could have been there. A) to make sure you definitely don't get a drunken snog from someone else and b)... because I'm sure it was fun."

"It _was _fun," Harry said, nodding enthusiastically and thanking his lucky stars that he wasn't on the receiving end of a bat bogey hex.

She gave him a look and said, "Well, you don't need to rub it in after we _waited up for you_ and you didn't even tell us you weren't going to be back. That part was damn annoying!"

His mind instantly told him to change the subject before she ended up getting mad at him after all. "Well, it would have been more fun if you had been there…" he said in a softer tone as he kissed along her jaw.

She smirked. "Nice, Potter."

"I'm serious," he said as he moved a kiss to her neck.

"No," she said innocently. "You're Harry."

Harry giggled a bit at that, which he never usually did. He would usually give her a look that showed he thought that was the stupidest joke ever.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're just so funny!" he exclaimed.

"Uh huh…" she said, eyeing and barely humoring him.

"You should come next time!" he said excitedly.

She couldn't help but smile at the look on his face. "I'd love to. But mum would have a grindylow if I showed up this late, let alone tipsy."

He groaned and leaned his face into her neck.

She had a thought. "But… Harry we should just have a get together… a party." Harry looked up, but he didn't look thrilled at the idea of having a party. "No, listen. We could invite Neville and Luna and everyone you don't get to see."

"You just named all the people I'd care about seeing," he said bluntly.

She pulled a face. "Oh, don't care to see Dean or Seamus? George could bring Angelina and Lee and Katie and Alicia… it could be good for him. Maybe some people from the Quidditch team?"

Harry was a little more preoccupied with how her tank top was hanging on her now that she was sitting up more. It was just enough to see a bit of cleavage. "Mmmhmmm… sounds good…" he said absentmindedly.

Ginny carried on in her train of thought. "Where could we have it? Grimmauld Place?"

Harry snapped his head back up. "No."

Ginny seemed unphased. "No… no you're right. Plus it still has all of its security measures. It would be a bit of a pain. Umm…"

She jumped a bit to sit up quickly, causing Harry to lose his own train of thought again. "I know! Hog's Head! New Year's Eve! Aberforth will surely let us. We haven't seen him in ages. And I doubt he would get much more business. He'd probably get more just from us."

Harry had already moved a hand to her waist and his lips to her collarbone by the time she had finished her suggestion. She gently pushed him off a bit and said, "Well, what do you think?"

Harry looked up at her face. She looked so happy and excited about it. It couldn't be too bad, right? And it wouldn't be at Grimmauld Place… he hadn't seen so many of them in so long…

"Yeah… yeah, brilliant!" he said, once again nodding enthusiastically.

She smiled and it made him smile, too. "Yeah?"

All she needed was just a nod of his head and then she squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It'll be so much fun."

He wrapped his arms around her as well. "You're fun," he said and she chuckled. "And brilliant," he added as he laid back down, pulling them both down with him. "And pretty…"

She smirked and said, "And exhausted." She then began settling into her pillow.

He kissed her shoulder and moved his hand up her waist. "Ah, Gin, couldn't we snog a bit?"

She looked like she fully intended on sleeping. "Five hours ago we could have. But I stayed up a little later than I probably would have if I had known you'd be out all night, and I'm-" she gave a large yawn "well, I'm completely knackered. 'Night, love! See you in the morning."

Harry sighed and dropped his head into her shoulder before rolling over and going to sleep.

"Harry!" Ginny said, and Harry realized he had phased out. "Well, let's get going! And when are Hermione and Ron getting here? I thought Ron was supposed to pick her up ages ago."

"I dunno…" he said with a bit of a sigh as he began casting cleansing charms. Fifteen minutes or so later, Ron and Hermione came in, arguing up a storm.

"Well, it looks an absolute mess, Ronald. I thought you were going to cut your hair last week! You look ridiculous," Hermione said in a very annoyed tone.

Ron looked rather put out. "It's not that long. Get off it. I mean, it's not any longer than fourth year…"

"Well, it looked ridiculous in 4th year and it looks ridiculous now. And with you seeing everyone for the first time in months tonight! Honestly!" she huffed, throwing up her hands.

"Bloody hell, Hermione. It's just hair. Don't need to be so mental about a bloody haircut. . I'll do it later today or something-"

Now Harry had seen plenty of their rows, and he was pleasantly surprised that their going out had lowered the amount of rows they had, but this seemed like a pretty pointless and overblown one, even for them.

Hermione let out a sarcastic laugh. "Yes, well I've heard that a lot lately. Oh, Hermione, I'm going to dinner with my coworkers but I'll come back _later_ and we'll get to hang out all night since you GO HOME the day after tomorrow. Yes, Hermione, I'll cut my hair _later_ while you're at your parents, I promise. Hey '_Mione,_ I'll pop over a little _later_ to pick you up. We'll even have time for lunch before, just you and me. I'm sorry, I didn't realize that the concept of time is completely different in the world of Ronald Weasley. Apparently there 'later' means NOT AT ALL."

Ah, and there it was.

"Merlin, Hermione, I said I was sorry!" Ron said in an exasperated tone.

"You should keep the ridiculous hair. It'll be a perfect visual expression of how thoughtless and careless you are!" She then turned on her heel and said resolutely, "Ginny, what should I do to help?"

Ginny hadn't realized she had been staring agape at the row. She promptly closed her mouth, smiled, and then said, "Just… just cleansing charms right now. Um, we can decorate later while the boys transfigure some of the tables to get them out of the way…"

When Hermione began walking to the back to cast scrubbing charms Ginny turned towards Ron and mouthed "What the fuck?" before following after her.

Harry had his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "So… forgot to pick her up, huh?"

Ron looked a bit uncomfortable and said, "Just… didn't realize what time it was."

Harry turned back to casting a charm on the broom so that it would clean the floors.

"So you got there she was just waiting hacked off?" Harry said, eyeing the back of the room and noticing Hermione still looked very stiff and put out as she casted cleansing charms.

"Erm… no…" Ron said, turning red. "She showed up to the Burrow and I wasn't ready yet…"

Harry merely shook his head, so Ron tried to explain. "The Quidditch Preview report came out! I was just checking on the world teams and there was some on the pro teams' seasons. Reckon I lost track of time when I got to the Cannons' section."

Harry chuckled a bit. "Do you WANT to lose your bollocks? Forgot about the birds?"

"Thanks for the support, mate. It was an accident," Ron said, glowering again. "She doesn't have to hold on to _every fight._ She just won't let go…"

Harry clapped a hand on his shoulder and said, "It's a bit of the pot calling the kettle black, right there." Of course, it was only a matter of time before one of them just trying to initiate a snog couldn't keep them from fighting like cats and dogs again.

They spent most of the time in silence as the four of them cleaned up and rearranged the tables. Ginny cast some charms to make the place look loads more silvery and charmed some lights around the bar to twinkle. Hermione had managed to enchant the ceiling to be similar to the Great Hall's ceiling. It wasn't quite as convincing, the sky was a bit thinner, but once they put out some of the lights and made the pub darker, it was hard to tell.

"That's brilliant, Hermione. _Really _brilliant," Ron said in a rather impressed voice. It wasn't the first time he had fawned over her work today. Harry had a suspicion Ron was trying the tactic of being overly nice to her to try to get back on her good side.

Hermione gave him a bit of a look before saying curtly, "Thank you." She then moved on to other enchantments.

Ron shrugged and muttered to Harry, "It was worth a shot."

When they got back to the Burrow, the mood didn't lighten up much. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley made it a bit worse at first by not realizing Ron and Hermione were in a row. After Mrs. Weasley realized and subsequently elbowed her husband, conversations got better and Ron and Hermione stayed fairly quiet. Although Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Harry, and Ginny were able to carry on conversation for the whole of dinner, the tension was still palpable.

"Oh, I hope they get over it. Hermione _had_ been looking forward to it. Something about a muggle tradition she'd never been able to do. Now they're going to ruin it for the lot of us," Ginny whispered to Harry, moving her annoyance from being just at Ron to being at both of them.

Harry was relieved when it finally was over and the girls excused themselves to get ready. The boys showered and quickly got ready themselves (with Ron making sure he took some time to have Mrs. Weasley give him a haircut), but they had loads of time to wait while the girls primped.

They were playing a game of wizard chess when Ron said glumly, "Think she'll cool off?"

"Yeah… yeah she usually does. Once everyone's there and she's having fun, yeah she'll be fine," Harry said, although he wasn't really sure of it himself.

"She got all excited over being together on New Year's. Said Muggles kiss at midnight for good luck for the year," Ron said trailing off. He hadn't been paying much attention during the game and Harry was already close to beating him.

"Oh, yeah, right. I think it's mostly to celebrate, but yeah they do that," Harry said, not really wanting to go back on the subject of their row but not wanting to brush it off either.

"And we're supposed to go to a Muggle parade with her parents tomorrow. It's going to be so bloody awkward! That is if she'll even still want me to go…"

"Erm, checkmate."

Ron groaned.

It was another game later before they finally heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Ready, gentlemen?" Ginny called.

The boys headed over to the stairs to greet them but stopped short.

Harry smiled and simply said, "Whoah."

_Author's Note: First, this was going to be all one chapter but then I decided it would be a little long. Sorry to leave you hanging!_

_Second, regarding the shit vs. shite thing… When I started these fictions a couple of years ago I looked up what is the correct way to spell it in Britain to produce the long i sound. I try to use British slang when I remember/know. I haven't had any comments about it until the last chapter. I looked it up again and a few online dictionaries, a bunch of google results, and Wikipedia showed that shite is common British English slang for shit. I myself use the word shit and I assure you I do know how to spell the word correctly. However, I was not writing that word. I guess the confusion came because I have spelled it just shit before. Thanks for looking out for me, and thanks for the suggestions! Whenever someone alerts me to a British slang word that is more fitting, I always try to use it in future chapters._

_Third, I know the shaggy hair in 4__th__ years was a movie and not a book thing… but I couldn' t resist. _

_Ah! And finally, sorry that it says I uploaded multiple chapters when it's just 34! I apparently did not upload the most recent version of this chapter. _


	35. A New Year After All?

"Whoah," Harry said simply.

Ginny and Hermione came down the stairs, Ginny just in front of Hermione. She blushed a tinge at Harry's comment and walked over to him. Over the years her mother had been teaching her some sewing charms so that she could alter clothes rather than having to spend so much to buy new ones. She wasn't quite good enough to make her own clothes… but she could generally alter hand me downs just fine. Her current dress had been an old holiday dress of Hermione's. Ginny had liked the silver fabric, but the sleeves had to go. She lowered the neckline to being a sweetheart cut and had to take it in at the chest and waste. Her hair was down and very loosely curled at the end and she wore a bit more eye makeup than usual.

"You look whoah," she said, tugging on the hem of his button-up. She smoothed out his shirt at his shoulders and looked at him for just a moment, but the look he was giving her made her blush and look away again. She looked up at his hair and said, "Someone tried to flatten down their hair."

Harry looked up, as if he could actually see it, and said, "It's starting to stick up again, isn't it?"

She smiled and said, "Yeah, but only a little. Don't fight it. Here, let me fix it." Instead of flattening it down, she messed it up more. "I told you I like it better messy anyway."

She then glanced over at Ron and Hermione tentatively. Ginny had tried to assuage Hermione's anger when getting ready, pointing out how she was sure he was sorry, Hermione wouldn't want the night to be soured, how much she had been looking forward to the night… It seemed to somewhat work as Hermione calmly greeted Ron. She was wearing a light blue, shimmery A-line dress she had gotten for the occasion. Her curls were still intact, but not frizzy, and pulled into a styled messy bun with some ringlets falling just out of the bun and some around her face.

Ron gave her a side smile and an earnest look as he said, "You look brilliant."

She softened up a bit as she looked over him and said, "Thank you. You cleaned up well. Your hair looks… nice." Ron instinctively ran a hand through the back of his hair and laughed nervously. Hermione turned to Harry and Ginny and with a bit of a forced smile said, "Well, should we be off?"

"Uh… yeah… yeah… probably shouldn't be late," Harry said, wanting to definitely move to a location with more people and therefore more buffers.

"Oh, well you all look so nice," Mrs. Weasley said, beaming a bit, as she walked into the kitchen. "Now, be careful. I know Aberforth is closing down the pub just for all of you but someone might try to walk on in and people can take their celebrations too far on a night like tonight."

Ginny smiled and crossed the room to her mother. "Yes, mum. Will be vigilant as always, I promise." She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek and added, "Want us to let you know when we get back or should we just see you in the morning?"

Mrs. Weasley didn't need time to think that over. "Wake me and let me know you all got back safe." It might seem a little silly with all of them being of age and two of them being out of school, not to mention three of them traipsing around England with everyone after them last year, but she knew she wouldn't be able to have this sort of motherly domain for much longer.

"Will do," Ginny said. "Happy New Year!" They all joined in wishing a Happy New Year before disapparating to Hogsmeade.

Hog's Head wasn't full, but the foursome were also not the first there. When they walked in and saw Neville, Luna, Dean, and Seamus already there, Harry began to feel so much better about the party already. Soon George, Angelina, Lee, Alica, Katie and Oliver were there, and the next thing Harry knew, it seemed as if almost all of Dumbledore's Army was there. From Ginny's year, she had only invited Vicky and Ritchie.

There were a couple of guests Harry was surprised to see. He was standing next to Ginny in a small circle of Gryffindors chatting when he leaned in to her and whispered, "Parvati and Lavender? Really?"

"Well, I thought it would be really rude if we didn't. They were in DA and in your year and all. I'm just… being the bigger person, that's all," Ginny whispered as she glanced over to the duo chatting with a perturbed Oliver Wood.

"You mean Hermione thought you should be the bigger person," Harry whispered back.

Ginny merely gave him a rueful smile before saying, "Not giving the same courtesy to Romilda or Demelza, though."

Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a kiss on the head before returning to the conversation.

Later on Ginny, Luna, and Neville could be found sitting by themselves and chatting. After briefly worrying about the upcoming NEWTs, they caught up on their Christmas breaks. Ginny caught Neville staring at Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot as Luna went on about some plant her father had discovered on their land. Now, it wasn't uncommon for Ginny or Neville to zone out during one of Luna's explanations, but Neville rarely did when it was a plant, in case it seemed legitimate or sounded like a plant he had actually studied.

"What's caught your eye?" Ginny said, smirking as she sipped on Firewhiskey and cinnamon concoction. She smiled at Luna and said, "Sorry to interrupt…. But I think we've lost his attention."

Neville reddened and looked away. His drink suddenly appeared very interesting. "Don't know what you're talking about," Neville said before a swig.

Luna followed where his glance had been and said, "Oh, Neville, it's all right. You just fancy one of them, don't you? I don't mind much that you weren't paying attention then. So, which one is it?"

"I don't fancy either of them…." Neville said, looking more uncomfortable.

"Hm…." Ginny said with an amused look. "Let's see, does Neville go more for brunettes or blondes…" She tapped her chin as if she were thinking.

"Shut it!" Neville whispered, though it was nearly impossible that anyone else could have heard their conversation over everyone else's conversations and the music playing.

"Well, it's high time you had a girlfriend, I say! You're a nice bloke and those are hard to come by. Plus I'm tired of you being oblivious to all the girls who check you out at Hogwarts on a regular basis," Ginny replied.

"What? No girls are-"

"No," Luna said nodding. "Ginny's right. For the longest time I swore there were Blibbering Humdingers

Flying all about us, as girls are more able to catch sight of them, but it was you they were whispering about!"

Ginny smirked and said, "And giggling about. Face it, Nev, you're one of the great heroes of the final battle and as such there are going to be more and more girls who are going to want all of that." She moved her hand around, suggesting "that" was Neville. She then gave him a bit of a shrug as if to say 'sorry but it's true.'

Neville opened his mouth and promptly shut it again. He shook his head, stood up, and said, "I'm refilling my drink. You both are bonkers."

Ginny turned quickly in her seat and said, "You should at least talk to her while you're up." She then turned back to Luna and the gabbing continued.

Neville took a breath and walked up to order another drink. Susan and Hannah were standing pretty close to the bar, so he steeled himself and decided to talk to them as he waited for his drink.

"So erm.. are you two having fun?" Neville said as he walked up to them.

Susan smiled and said, "Oh, yes. I'm so glad we did this!"

Hannah's smile was a bit more demure. "You'll have to thank Harry and Ginny for arranging this." She then added brightly, "We should really do this every year! A little DA celebration at the New Year's."

Neville nodded and said a bit more excitedly than he would have liked, "That's a brilliant idea!" Hannah smiled.

There was a pause and Susan said, "So, Neville, how's the studying coming? We might need some help studying for Herbology when we get closer to crunch time."

Hannah looked to Susan and then said, "Yes, I think I'll need it for sure. I've always been rubbish at Herbology. I think I should have just dropped it this year…" She reddened at the memory of having a very public panic attack before the OWLs because of Herbology.

Neville nodded, glad for an excuse to talk to them, or well… to Hannah. "Oh, oh yeah sure, I can help. It just takes some practice but mostly memorization. It's not like Potions…"

"Oh, Potions is the worst! I'd rather much rather do Charms or even Transfiguration-"

But Hannah was interrupted by Aberforth's gruff "Longbottom!" and the slam of a glass at the bar.

Neville got his glass and looked between the two of them. "Well, er… I… suppose I'll see you around then."

Hannah nodded and said, "Right, see you."

"See you, Neville," Susan said, looking a tinge annoyed.

Neville made his way back to the table when Parvati and Lavender stepped in front of him.

"Nev!" Parvati exclaimed. That was odd. She was not one of the few people who generally called him that.

"Er, hello Parvati," Neville said, taking another step back to the table. He was stopped by Lavender now chiming in.

"So weird that we haven't, you know, hung out and caught up tonight, huh?" Lavender said with a smile.

Neville looked confused as he said, "Erm… no.. we never hang out-"

Lavender laughed and said, "Oh, you're a riot. Don't be silly."

"Isn't he, Padma?" Parvati said, now looking to her sister, who Neville hadn't noticed had joined them with the two more extroverted girls' exclamations.

"Um, not really, Parvati…" Padma said, looking thoroughly uncomfortable by this whole exchanged. Good, at least he wasn't the only one who thought this was weird.

"Oh, you're both hilarious!" Lavender said, laughing again. "Two of a kind, really?"

Now Neville was really confused.

"Do you know what else is silly? Did you know Padma hasn't danced all night-"

"Parvati!"

Parvati paid no mind to her sister. "You two should TOTALLY dance!"

"Oh… I'm not very good-" Neville said.

Padma simultaneously added, "Oh… no that's really not necessary."

Lavender laughed and said, "It's not ballroom dancing! You don't have to worry about stepping on toes."

Padma shook her head and continued to protest. It didn't help with how uncomfortable this was all making him. He looked over to Ginny and Luna for help, but they looked at him with fully confused faces. "I'm sure he doesn't want to dance with me."

Now, Neville didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. He just didn't want to dance it all. "It's not that. It's just-"

"See!" Parvati said, now practically pushing the two together and onto the makeshift dance floor.

Padma sighed once they were left alone to awkwardly barely dance. "Sorry about her, I'm pretty sure she was just pushing me off so I wouldn't be 5th wheel to them and whoever they're going to pounce on." No sooner had she said that were the two girls now chatting animatedly to Seamus and Dean. Padma shook her head and laughed.

"Looked like they were more going after the older guys…" Neville said as he sideways glanced over to Parvati and Lavender.

"Oh, they were. But when that didn't pan out I guess they decided to go after more familiar territory," she said.

There was a very silent pause as they both continued to barely move to the music before Padma said, "So, um, how are the NEWTs classes going for you?"

"All right. Hermione, Ginny, Luna and I have formed this sort of study group, and it's helping. Still not getting the hang of NEWTs level Potions, even with Hermione coaching me," Neville said. Even the small talk was making him uncomfortable.

"Oh, potions mostly is following directions and having patience. If you put too much thought in it, you'll muck it all up," Padma said, but the look on Neville's face told her he didn't buy it. "I could help you out sometime, show you how it can be quite simple. Or at least, simpler than I'm sure you're making it. There's some parts that definitely need more practice, but I think people's biggest problem with it really is letting nerves or impatience get in the way."

"Oh," Neville said, perking up a bit. "Well, yeah, that'd be great."

Padma smiled and it made Neville redden a bit. He had always thought she and her sister were some of the prettiest girls at Hogwarts, and between that and Parvati's personality he had been given more than enough reason to stay far away then.

The song ended but both Lavender and Parvati looked pretty busy flirting with Seamus and Dean.

"Well… thanks, Neville," Padma said, glancing around to see if there was anyone else she could join up with or if she would be forced to awkwardly watch as Parvati and Lavender tried to see who could get snogged first.

"Um," Neville said, rubbing the back of his neck and looking over to Ginny and Luna. "You could join us at our table, if you don't wanna have to go over there."

Padma looked relieved as she smiled and Neville felt a bit unnaturally warm. "Really? Oh, that would be so much better!" Sure, she never had really got on with either of them… and Luna was pretty odd… but it had to be better.

As they walked over Padma commented, "You really are an exceptionally nice bloke, Neville."

Neville really hadn't seen anything he did being exceptionally nice, but he thought he'd take the compliment from a pretty girl.

When the got to the table and joined Ginny and Luna's conversation, Neville began feeling much more comfortable.

Luna was explaining some business going on with the Quibbler when Ginny poked Neville in his side to get attention.

"Not the girl I would have figured you'd bring over," she whispered.

Neville merely shrugged and said, "Well, she was kinda abandoned by her friends."

Neville was saved from any further inquisition by Harry coming up and saying, "Mind if I steal my girlfriend to dance?"

"Ugh…. If we have to," Ginny said with feigned annoyance before downing her drink and hopping up to join Harry.

After an initial spin Harry pulled Ginny in close as she giggled.

"Mmmm so how are Ron and Hermione? Still frigid over there?" she asked as she eyed the two. They were standing next to each other as they talked to George and his group, but they weren't being particularly affectionate at all.

"The ice is melting a bit," Harry said as he glanced in their direction as well.

"Well, I'm sure all will be forgiven by midnight. Hermione was looking forward to midnight," Ginny said, now turning back to Harry.

"I hope so, we've only got about 20 more minutes."

Ginny smiled and said, "I'm looking forward to midnight, too."

"Cuz of the kiss?" Harry said. He had never really seen the big deal of HAVING to have someone to kiss at midnight. "Here I'll fix that," he added as he leaned in and kissed her.

Ginny laughed and pushed him off. "No! Well, yes but I guess you spoiled that now!" She stuck out her tongue, but it was in a joking way because she hadn't been talking about that at all. "No, just… a new year. Think about it, Harry. It's the first year with no Voldemort in _ages._ No Voldemort, no war… you're rounding up the last Death Eaters and we'll all be graduated and grown up and in our own places and hopefully I'll be on a Quidditch team and… oh, I just think it's going to be _smashing_ year!"

Harry smiled. He hadn't really thought about it, but that was all true. His first year in the Wizarding world without Voldemort to worry about. They could really move on. "You know, I think you're absolutely right."

He leaned in for a snog and she smiled as they kissed. The buzz the both had made them less worried about the fact that everyone could see them kissing on the dance floor. After all, they were mostly around friends.

They were interrupted, though, and not by any of the partygoers who were rolling their eyes at the PDA. Harry felt heat in his pocket and pulled away from Ginny to retrieve a square piece of bronze that was three by four inches. Harry had shown her this little piece of metal before. Like the DA coin, it heated up when there was an alert. It also vibrated a bit and turned black. His was now black and said "All Call- Attack in Ministry ballroom- NYE event." That put Harry at alert, and he was now in full Auror mode. "Sorry, Gin, we've got to go."

Ginny hated that they had to leave now, but it was their job. She quickly kissed him and said, "Be careful. Hurry back." She glanced at her watch. There was no way he could make it back by midnight.

"Love you," he said before heading towards Ron.

Ginny crossed her arms. "Love you, too."

When Harry made it to Ron, Ron was already pulling on his coat. "Got the message?" Ron asked.

"Yeah," Harry said, plotting in his head where they could apparate to that would be closest to the ballroom.

Ron turned to Hermione and said quickly, "I'm sorry, love. I'm going to miss midnight."

Hermione summoned her coat as Harry headed for the door. "I'll come with you two," Hermione said instinctively.

"No," Ron said, and it startled Hermione. She looked up at him and there was a bit of a pained look on his face. "You can't. Not… not this time. Not anymore…It's… it's our jobs." Hermione would have fired into another verbal assault but she could tell by the look on his face that it really had nothing to do with protecting her or whether she was capable, and just that this was Auror business. He had explained to her before that if something like this happened they weren't supposed to bring non-Aurors in to fight. It wasn't like the final battle at Hogwarts, they weren't supposed to just bring civilians into frays.

She nodded and looked down. "Right, right. I understand."

"Sorry, Hermione, but Ron we've got to go," Harry said urgently. Everyone was now watching the three of them.

"Coming!" he barked at Harry before turning to Hermione, looking worried. "Sorry I'll miss midnight. I know how much you were looking-"

Hermione waved a hand and said with both a softened face and tone that Ron hadn't seen all day, "Don't worry about that. Don't think about it. Just be careful, Ron."

Ron smiled and gave her a kiss before heading toward Harry.

"Love you!" she called, not being able to mask her worry.

"Love you, too!" Ron said just before they closed the door and a loud pop was heard.

There was a bit of a silence as Hermione stared at the door. This was the first time that had to go and fight without her since second year… and she had been unconscious then. Yes, they had been going on missions the whole year while she was at school, but those almost didn't count in regards to this. She was home now. The three of them were all there at the same time… and she had to be left behind. She couldn't fight alongside them and try to make sure they were safe. Instead, she had to worry and not know what was going on.

After a very pregnant pause George turned to Lee and said, "Well, that was a buzzkill." Angelina promptly smacked him in the back of the head. But whether people were shocked at or amused by what George said, it did the trick of getting people talking again.

Meanwhile, Hermione walked over to Ginny, Neville, and Luna (Padma was back with Parvati and Luna as they wanted to discuss what had just happened), and sank into their booth.

Neville looked at Hermione and Ginny for a moment before scooting out of the booth and saying, "I think I'll get us another round." Along the way he picked up Seamus and Dean, hoping having more people to add to the conversation would keep Hermione and Ginny's minds far away from Ron and Harry.

Author's notes: I realized shortly after posting Legilimency that I had a couple of continuity with canon errors and I have been meaning to change it, but I keep forgetting. So, just so you're aware (for the people who get alerts when a new chapter is posted) the next chapter update you see will actually just be me replacing Legilimency with a fixed copy. It won't change the story much at all. It'll probably be only a few sentences, but I won't be irked by the lack of continuity!


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